--- title: "Climate Conference Menu Mocked for Absurdly High Carbon Footprint" description: "Even the food being served at this year's COP26, an event put on by the United Nations, had its own substantial carbon footprint." date: "2021-11-04" modified: "2021-11-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/climate-conference-menu-mocked-for-absurdly-high-carbon-footprint" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "global warming" - "the digest" --- # Climate Conference Menu Mocked for Absurdly High Carbon Footprint ![Even the food being served at this year's COP26, an event put on by the United Nations, had its own substantial carbon footprint.]() *\Image: amirali mirhashemian\* ## Carbon on the Menu The Glasgow Climate Change Conference has been rife with double standards, with many world leaders making the trip to Scotland [on board their private jets](). Even the food being served at this year's COP26, an event put on by the United Nations, had its own substantial carbon footprint. The catering provided at the event made use of plenty of meat and fish, which is ironic given the fact that raising livestock has a significant carbon footprint, as [*The Big Issue* reports](). Climate activists were quick to point out the hypocrisy. "It’s like serving cigarettes at a lung cancer conference," Joel Scott-Halkes, a spokesperson for campaign group Animal Rebellion, told *The Big Issue*. "As long as such illogical decisions are being made, the climate emergency will never be resolved." ## Haggis Emissions A vegetarian diet, as the [conference's own website]() points out, is the "most effective ways for us to reduce emissions." In fact, the caterer itself made the point of advertising the carbon footprint of each of its dishes — an attempt to educate conference goers and perhaps influence their choices. The "haggis, neeps and tatties," some hearty Scottish cuisine, used a whopping 7.5 pounds of carbon to produce, according to the event's own rating system. A burger with Scottish cheddar? Also 7.5 pounds. That's a lot more than the [1.1 pounds of CO2 emissions per meal]() to reach the goals defined by the Paris Agreement. "By including climate labels on our our menus, we aim to make it easier to achieve this goal – together," a [description of the event's online menu]() reads. But the "utterly reckless inclusion of meat, seafood and dairy on the COP26 catering menu is a damning indictment of the UK government’s utter failure to grasp the root cause of the climate crisis," Scott-Halkes argued. **READ MORE:** [The COP26 menu is ‘like serving cigarettes at a lung cancer conference’]() \[*The Big Issue*\] **More on the conference:** *[World Leaders Mocked for Flying Private Jets to Climate Conference]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()