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And a tip for better baking.
Dear Reader,
The downside of being Dot is having to, sometimes, sour the sweet by informing people of the climate (and human) costs of some of our favorite things, such as chocolate, a delicacy that Dot adores. So when I can temper bad news with good news, well, that feels delightful. So consider this, my chocolate-loving, climate-conscious reader: Solving the problem of cocoa’s intensive carbon emissions could be as simple as planting tall shade trees on plantations. The authors of a study report that, “if all cocoa plantations increased their cover of shade trees to at least 30%, the additional, taller trees could sequester an “enormous” amount of carbon — 307m tonnes of CO2e (MtCO2e) — enough to fully counterbalance the current cocoa-related emissions in both [Ivory Coast and Ghana], without reducing production.”
Increasingly, the benefits of agroforestry — the use of trees and shrubs in agriculture — are being realized around the world, helping Nigerian farmers battle climate change, for example. It’s a reminder that we have the solutions we need, and they are, often, not complicated.
Of course, carbon emissions aren’t all that’s bitter about chocolate — as Bluedot notes in What’s So Bad About … Chocolate? What can we do? Steer clear of chocolate from the big chocolate companies and seek out alternatives on Slave Free Chocolate’s recommended list, which highlights companies around the world committed to environmentally and socially responsible cocoa. Or ask your local chocolatier where they source their chocolate.
Sweetly,
Dot
Once your parchment paper is discolored and no longer reusable, switch to Silpat mats.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
