Carbon Footprints, Food Miles and the Australian Wine Industry

The embrace of carbon footprinting and local food sourcing as environmental measures designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions poses a potential threat to Australian food export industries which are geographically distant to market, like the Australian wine industry. Food transport costs can add considerably to a product’s carbon footprint and detrimentally affect sales. The raison d’etre of carbon footprinting is to encourage responsible environmental production methods. However, the author questions whether this aim can be effectively fulfilled and whether carbon footprinting and local food sourcing policies are instruments of anti-globalisation sentiment and thus can be challenged under the World Trade Organization framework.