Wine Industry N Carbon Emissions Formula

Tara Kelly / The Huffington Post

Wine Carbon Emissions Formula Adopted By International Wine Industry

Ever wonder how many carbon emissions it takes to make and ship that enticing bottle of Australian wine?

Well, now it looks like the world's wine community has taken action and come up with a standard way to calculate the industry's carbon footprint, reports JustDrinks.com.

Led by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, the global trade body brought together producers, suppliers, logistics firms and ad retailers to help them agree on a way to assess environmental impact.

Dubbed the Greenhouse Gas Accounting Profile, the standardized formula has two parts. The enterprise protocol helps businesses calculate their carbon emissions, while the product protocol gives winemakers carbon reduction tips to cut emissions even more, notes Harpers.co.uk.

According to the UK Wine and Spirit Trade Association, the wine sector is one of the first industries to lead with such a move.

This isn't the first time the wine sector has examined its carbon footprint. Last year, the Guardian reported on the world's first wine sold with a carbon footprint label for each individual glass serving -- the Mobius Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

With the warming climate said to inhibit France, Spain and Italy from growing grapes for wine production, it's not too surprising that winemakers have taken action to track and reduce their own emissions.

But the threat of global warming is extending beyond wineries. Just last month, Starbucks' Sustainability Director spoke about how the Arabica coffee bean could become extinct due to climate change.

A study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation suggested chocolate could become a luxury item if farmers from the Ivory Coast and Ghana can't adapt to warming temperatures.

Take a look at some other examples of endangered foods and drinks potentially threatened by climate change.

Chocolate

The world's $9 billion chocolate industry gets almost half of its cocoa from West African farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. A recent report from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture predicts chocolate could become a luxury product if West Africa's temperatures rise thanks to climate change.

Italian Pasta

Scientists at the British Meteorological Office warn that Italy may soon be forced to import the basic ingredients to make pasta because climate change will make it impossible to grow durum wheat domestically.

Peanut Butter

A shortage in peanuts thanks to last summer's scorching hot weather means big brands like Peter Pan, Jif and Smucker's have raised prices of peanut butter by 24 to 40 percent.

German Beer

Czech scientists believe climate change has begun to affect the quality of beer. The Agricultural and Forest Meteorology published a study in September 2009 that found even with the modest warming so far experienced, hop yields have stagnated and quality declined.

Coffee

With climate change already impacting central America's coffee production, Starbucks fears the company's coffee supply could be at risk in 10 to 30 years. The Arabica coffee bean is of particular concern, says Starbucks' Sustainability Director.

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