Your rajma or idli is damaging biodiversity, says a study; know how

Scientists have assessed the ‘biodiversity footprints’ of 151 popular dishes from around the globe, and come up with a surprising list of offenders: India’s beloved idli, chana masala, rajma, and chicken jalfrezi all feature among the top 25 for environmental impact.

Topping the list is ‘lechazo,’ a Spanish roast lamb dish, followed by four Brazilian meat-centric offerings. The researchers placed idli at sixth place and rajma curry at seventh.

This study, published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Elissa Cheng and colleagues at the University of Singapore, analysed the impact of these 151 dishes, the top 25 based on their gross domestic product in their home countries.

Unsurprisingly, vegan and vegetarian dishes generally had lower biodiversity footprints than their meaty counterparts. However, the researchers were surprised to discover that even rice and legume-based dishes scored highly.

What is a biodiversity footprint?

Similar to a carbon footprint, it’s calculated based on your activities and translated into a standardised unit, like hectares of biodiversity loss. (Source: Freepik)

A biodiversity footprint measures the impact of your activities, or those of an organization or product, on the diversity of life on Earth. It essentially goes beyond simply calculating your carbon footprint and considers the broader ecological consequences of your actions.

What it measures

1. Land use: How much land and its resources do you use directly or indirectly? This includes everything from the land used to grow your food to the habitats impacted by your transportation choices.
2. Climate change: Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change, which disrupts ecosystems and threatens biodiversity.
3. Water use: How much water do you extract and pollute? This can have a significant impact on freshwater ecosystems and the species that rely on them.