Who are climatarians and what do they eat

C’è una nuova categoria di persone che si distinguono per cosa mangiano: sono i climatariani. Sono coloro che hanno bene in mente quanto sia importante l’alimentazione nella lotta al riscaldamento globale.

If you are among those who think about what they’re eating and try to reduce the carbon footprint of their diet. If you are among those who buy products that didn’t travel the world before reaching their tables. If you are among those who cut down on meat, or even cut it out completely. If you are among those who try to eliminate waste by buying the right amount of food items in order to avoid them to end up in the rubbish. If you think about all these things before sitting at your dinner table, then you could absolutely define yourself as a “climatarian”.

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© Richard Hamilton Smith/CORBIS

The origin of the world climatarian

The term has been cited by The New York Times in the list of the new food words for 2015. “Climatarian” will worthily substitute the synonym “ecotarian”, coined in 2005 by a group of researchers of the Oxford University and later used in an article of the UK Times written by Tony Turnbull on 25 September 2008 to define people who only eat food produced in a sustainable way. This word, however, never caught on among environmentalists.

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© Wavebreakmedia LTD/Wavebreak Media Ltd./Corbis

What do climatarians eat

Climatarian could instead be a more powerful word, since it directly recalls in its root one of the most important challenges of our time: the fight against climate change. A battle that each of us can join, through sustainable practices, including using alternative means of transportation and switching to a nutrition that respects the environment and local market.

14.5% of total CO2 emissions are in fact produced by animal farming and dairies. Thus, we should say no to red meat and, only if necessary, eat white meat (poultry). Instead, yes to creative recipes in order to use every part of ingredients to keep food waste to a minumum, as Lisa Casali has been teaching us for years. And local products are a must.

Climatarians thus join reducetarians (those who reduce animal products consumption), fishetarians (those who cut meat out), vegetarians (those who cut out meat and fish), vegans (those who cut out meat, fish, and animal derivatives such as cheese and eggs). But the list could be much longer.

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Intensive animal farming, Australia © Nick Rains/Corbis

Who care about the environment can only conceive this word as “the” word. After all, eating meat has a price too high to do nothing. So, don’t feel uncomfortable or embarrassed: say you are climatarians out loud, others may follow closely behind. Starting from the waiter or waitress who won’t conceal a look of surprise on their face.

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