從華盛頓到烏蘭巴托 世界環境日對抗食物浪費

Each year, June 5 is celebrated around the world as World Environment Day, and this year the focus of attention is on reducing food waste.

In keeping with this effort, today U.S. EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to announce the launch of U.S. Food Waste Challenge. The challenge asks farmers, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities and government agencies to help reduce wasted food.

"Food waste is the single largest type of waste entering our landfills – Americans throw away up to 40 percent of their food," said Perciasepe. "Addressing this issue helps to combat hunger and save money, while also combating climate change. Food waste in landfills decomposes to create potent greenhouse gases and by reducing this waste we can in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

"The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste," said Secretary Vilsack. "Not only could this food be going to folks who need it – we also have an opportunity to reduce the amount of food that ends up in America's landfills."

"By joining together with EPA and businesses from around the country, we have an opportunity to better educate folks about the problem of food waste and begin to address this problem across the nation," Vilsack said.

Americans send more food to landfills and incinerators than any other single municipal solid waste – 35 million tons – even more than paper and plastic.

When wasted food is sent to landfills, it decomposes and becomes a source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Reducing wasted food helps conserve energy and reduces environmental impacts from thee production and transportation of food.

Around the world hundreds of thousands of people are already participating in World Environment Day events or gearing up to do so. Official events focus on the new UN Environment Programme and UN Food and Agricultural Organization campaign Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint, which is aimed at slashing food waste.

Each year, an estimated one third of all food produced ends up spoiling in the bins of consumers, retailers, farmers and transporters.

This 1.3 billion metric tonnes, worth around US$1 trillion, is enough to feed the 870 million people who go hungry each day several times over.

This year the main World Environment Day event is hosted by the government and people of Mongolia, one of the world's fastest-growing countries. While Mongolia as a whole does not waste much food, the traditional nomadic lifestyle of some of its people, who developed ways to preserve food for long periods, offers some ancient answers to the modern challenge of food waste.

In Mongolia, festivities began on Saturday with International Children's Day with environmental flashmobs in the Central Square of the capital city, Ulaanbaatar.

On Sunday, thousands of runners took part in a marathon flagged off by current marathon world record holder Patrick Makau, the UNEP Patron for Clean Air. The runners passed through the streets of Ulaanbaatar on a day where the city center was designated car free.

On Monday, Mongolia hosted a Green Development National Forum. The mineral-rich country has placed a moratorium on new mining concessions while looking to a more sustainable future based on renewable energy and ecotourism.

Today, Mongolia flipped the switch on its first wind farm on Salhit Mountain in Tuv Province as part of the country's transition to a low-carbon future.

Also today, the Mongolia Renewable Energy Futures and Green Development conference is exploring the relationship between renewable energy and green development in Mongolia, where there is a potential to redefine rational and sustainable growth.