By May Chan
Throughout Independence Day weekend, American magazines and newspapers across the South are full of barbecue recipes. Celebrating the holiday with grilled food has been an American tradition that dates back to the 1800s. After the Revolution, many people marked the national holiday with public dinners which quickly grew into large outdoor barbecues in many areas. Later on, the celebrations became standardized, and many states in the South similarly held Fourth of July barbecues. Despite the popular tradition, barbecues often have negative environmental impacts when done all at once by a ravenous and patriotic population.
In much of the world, barbecuing is done with charcoal, as it gives the food a particularly smoky flavor. Traditional charcoal is produced by cutting down trees and burning them in kilns, which contributes to deforestation and high carbon footprint. The majority of charcoal is produced in developing nations by “carbonizing non-renewable hardwood sources” (Charcoal May Be Great for Barbecues — but It’s Bad for the Planet, 2021). The trees take decades to regenerate after they are cut down in tropical areas where they normally flourish. As a result, when manufacturers use wood to generate charcoal, significant amounts of carbon are released immediately. Moreover, as The New York Times reported, “the average grill produces about 11 pounds of carbon dioxide per hour” (Schwartz & Garcia, 2019). Thus, a normal two-hour charcoal grilling session produces the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions as 26 miles of car travel.
But this doesn’t mean we need to halt barbecues altogether— there are some charcoal sources that are better for the environment than others. For instance, lump charcoal, which consists merely of roasted wood bits, is frequently promoted as being “more natural” (Bogost, 2021). Lump charcoal may really assist one in preventing the release of pollutants into the air as compared to chemical-laden self-igniting briquettes. Because it is formed of wood, which may be collected responsibly from trees that absorb the carbon that charcoal grills emit, lump charcoal also has the potential to become carbon-neutral, although such a goal is rarely achieved.
Furthermore, altering one’s diet can help reduce carbon emissions. The food that many people cook on their grills—typically meat and red meat—raises more environmental concerns than the grill itself. “The production of a 100g medium-sized beef burger releases enough greenhouse gasses to fill more than 60 balloons,” said Professor Sarah Bridle from the University of Manchester, “by switching to chicken you could reduce that to around 15 balloons” (How Much Is Your Summer BBQ Damaging the Environment?, n.d.). So, just by making a few minor dietary modifications, such as swapping beef for chicken, cheese to peanut butter, or other plant-based options, we can make a significant impact and help the environment.
In conclusion, it is impossible to cook a barbecue that is carbon-neutral right now. If one wishes to completely eliminate the environmental effects that barbecues produce, perhaps the alternative option is to have an outdoor picnic instead. But if each of us used less traditional charcoal and made a small change to our diet, we could undoubtedly minimize the carbon emissions from barbecuing.
Citations
Bogost, I. (2021, July 9). The greenest way to grill. The Atlantic. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/07/grilling-emissions-environment/619394/
Meschewski, E. (2016, May 25). Charcoal vs. gas – a sustainability question. ISTC blog. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://blog.istc.illinois.edu/2016/05/25/charcoal-vs-gas-a-sustainability-question/
Manchester 1824. 2022. How much is your summer BBQ damaging the environment?. [online] Available at: <https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/how-much-is-your-summer-bbq-damaging-the-environment/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
Dhanesha, N., 2022. Charcoal may be great for barbecues — but it’s bad for the planet. [online] ideas.ted.com. Available at: <https://ideas.ted.com/environmental-impact-of-charcoal-barbecue/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
Sustainable Build. 2022. Are Barbecues Bad for the Environment? – Sustainable Build. [online] Available at: <https://sustainablebuild.co.uk/bbq-bad-for-environment/> [Accessed 19 July 2022].
Schwartz, J., & Garcia, E. (2019, June 12). One thing you can do: Plan a climate-friendly cookout. The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/climate/nyt-climate-newsletter-bbq.html
About Author
