Beef is responsible for way more emissions than charcoal. Let’s say you grilled 10 hamburgers over the course of an hour. Raising and transporting the meat in those burgers would be 7x the emissions of grilling them. If you’re grilling, use propane if you can, but more importantly, substitute in some chicken or vegetables for hamburgers and hot dogs.
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[originally broadcast in August, 2019]
Megan: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet… And use science to find everyday solutions.
I’m Megan Hall.
School’s out and the weather is warmer. For a lot of us, that means it’s grilling season. But if you’re cooking outside this summer, what’s better for your carbon footprint- using gas or charcoal?
We had Alina Kulman and Molly Magid from our Possibly team look into this. Welcome Alina and Molly!
Alina: Hi Megan
Molly: Hello.
Megan: So, what did you find out?
Alina: Well, one study found that grilling with charcoal for an hour produces three times the emissions of grilling with gas.
Megan: Why is charcoal so much worse than gas?
Molly: Well, charcoal is made from trees, and deforestation is a big contributor to climate change. And to turn wood into charcoal, you have to burn it at a high temperature, which releases a lot of CO2.
Alina: And once you start grilling, charcoal produces even more emissions since it keep burning. even after the food is off the grill.
Megan: But what about people who just love the taste of charcoal grilling?
Alina: He found someone like that. Kurt Teichert is an environmental studies professor at Brown University. He prefers grilling on charcoal, but he almost never goes out to buy it.
Kurt: most of the wood that I use is salvaged so its limbs that come down, or you know if I’ve got to prune a tree back I tend to hang onto that.
Molly: Kurt makes his own charcoal by cooking with wood that otherwise would have been thrown away. He even uses popsicle sticks as kindling.
Megan: That sounds like a lot of work. Is it worth the effort?
Molly: Actually, yes. In the same study that looked at grilling methods, researchers found that using fallen or salvaged wood for charcoal produces less emissions than grilling with gas.
Megan: Ok, but can we really expect everyone to grill with leftover popsicle sticks?
Alina: Most people probably don’t have the time or energy to collect their own wood. But ultimately…
Kurt: what you’re putting on that grill has much more the potential footprint than what you’re using to grill it.
Molly: Kurt’s right. Beef is responsible for way more emissions than charcoal. Let’s say you grilled 10 hamburgers over the course of an hour. Raising and transporting the meat in those burgers would be 7x the emissions of grilling them.
Megan: So, what’s the take-away here?
Alina: If you’re grilling, use propane if you can, but more importantly, substitute in some chicken or vegetables for hamburgers and hot dogs.
Megan: Thanks for looking into this, Molly and Alina!
Megan: That’s it for today. For more information or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, use our short question form.
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