The Sustainabilist | RAMADAN
FEATURE
The #LowCarbonCooking Challenge This Ramadan, we want to challenge you to try the low carbon recipes of some of the best chefs and restaurants in Dubai! By Musad Afzal External Relations Officer, Dubai Carbon
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third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the food production value chain, but the majority of consumers remain unaware of how emission intensive their diet can be. As Dubai’s torchbearer of low carbon lifestyles, we decided to address this during last year’s Ramadan through the region’s first FoodPrint Calculator. The team at Dubai Carbon went to work researching the most commonly used foods in the region, combined with ones that were currently popular and would be used most during the month of Ramadan. Then, after sifting through scientific papers, previously done research, and coordination with local authorities, the footprint of each chosen ingredient was calculated. For the most part, the findings weren’t surprising: red meat and poultry led 24
the emission charts, but the outliers were vegetables that were flown in and needed cold storage to be sold in the UAE - such as the beloved avocado. The goal was for residents in the country to understand the importance of non-meat protein alternatives and local produce in the transition to a low carbon diet. The calculator also allowed people to pick frequency of consumption per week to see how much of a difference it would make to reduce consumption of certain
ingredients, rather than cut them out entirely. After communicating this information to Dubai’s community last year, our next step was to empower people through it. With a pandemic at large and people confined to their homes, we witnessed a notable increase in people cooking at home. This would continue during Ramadan, a period in which food is often at the forefront of conversation in the region. Naturally, the
