Can Alcohol Drives Climate Change?

Did You Know

In this episode, we'll explore how alcohol production contributes to climate change, and what we can do to reduce our impact. So watch and learn, then let's pledge to drink less for the planet's sake!

The production phase of the alcohol industry actually leaves a surprisingly large footprint. After all, large amounts of water and fertilizer are necessary to harvest the grain, grapes, potatoes, rice, botanicals, cane and agave that go into that sixteen-dollar martini. And in the case of distilled spirits, nearly all of that water turns into waste. Water run-off from distilling rum. Wine is less damaging to produce than spirits, but that doesn’t mean it’s clean. According to a study by The Journal of Cleaner Production in 2012, vineyards use large amounts of energy to harvest grapes, contribute heavily to global glass production, and leave behind chromium copper arsenate in the surrounding soil. And while beer is the least impactful to produce (it still burns energy to brew), it’s definitely the worst of the three in the next category.