“The Hidden Environmental Costs of Food” Article Reflection No. 111 (9/22/2024)

Article: “The Hidden Environmental Costs of Food”

Reflection:

In The New York Times article “The Hidden Environmental Costs of Food,” journalists Lydia DePillis, Catrin Einhorn, and Manuela Andreoni describe how the environmental costs of common foods found at grocery stores can total to significantly higher prices compared to their sale prices. Taking into account factors such as the costs of land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions from manure as well as dairy machinery, the article refers to data from Dutch nonprofit organization True Price. According to the journalists, the wide gaps in prices include (for example) an additional $22.02 for beef, $3.76 for cheese, $0.21 for tofu, $1.83 for chicken, and $0.74 for chickpeas. The article suggests that more awareness about these “true costs” can encourage beneficial environmental change in food production. 

This article provides a differently-angled perspective into how environmental concerns factor into agriculture or livestock in a way that is probably tangible to the general public: money. I feel like one of the factors that make environmental impact feel so distant is because it impacts those who are in developed countries on the higher up the socio-economic hierarchy much less compared to those who are suffering its consequences as a financially marginalized member of a developing country. But by looking at the numbers (though it is still important to keep in mind that these numbers may not be fully accurate as, as stated in the article, things can be produced in various different ways) and imagining how factoring in the environmental costs may impact one’s own budget may paint environmental concerns in a whole new light. I hope this makes the article more appealing to people and that it reaches a broader audience. To be honest, it’s saddening that people have to go so far in order to attract attention about an environmental issue that is so important and directly affects people around the world. But it takes what it takes.