Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Diets in Combination with Transportation Emissions of Cars, SUVs, and Bicycles

Abstract

With the increasing threat anthropogenic climate change poses on the plant, it is necessary to examine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), from daily habits to provide a framework for sustainable and eco-friendly living. Such daily habits include utilizing internal combustion-powered vehicles like SUVs and Cars for daily transport, daily dietary patterns, and food consumed to provide energy for other forms of transportation, such as cycling. By analyzing the carbon dioxide emissions of different daily dietary intakes based on life cycle assessments, effective CO2 emissions from bicycle-based transportation can be quantified and compared against the CO2 emissions of Cars and SUVs. These vehicular emissions can then be merged with the average CO2 emissions of different daily dietary patterns, such as Omnivorous, Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian, Lacto-Vegetarian, Pescatarian, and Vegan diets to calculate the total daily and yearly GHG emissions produced by both transport and dietary habits. The following study integrates randomized daily intakes of Omnivorous, Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian, Lacto-Vegetarian, Pescatarian, and Vegan diets, calculated utilizing MATLAB code and Monte Carlo statistical analyses against vehicular emissions of Cars and SUVs calculated using the GREET model to determine optimal methods of reducing CO2 emissions by modifying transportation methods and dietary regimen.