Winner of the 2021 Nordic Council Environment Prize

Vinder af Nordisk Råds miljøpris 2021

Vinder af Nordisk Råds miljøpris 2021

Photographer
Norden.org/Magnus Fröderberg
The 2021 Nordic Council Environment Prize goes to Concito, Denmark’s green think-tank, for the Big Climate Database.

Rationale

Global food production accounts for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. Access to information about a food’s CO2 footprint is crucial if we are to steer the production and consumption of food in a more sustainable direction.

Once we know a food’s CO2 footprint, as a consumer we can actively decide whether we want to use it in our household. This knowledge will, hopefully, result in food consumption that is less damaging for the climate. 

The 2021 Nordic Council Environment Prize is awarded to the Big Climate Database for its potential to create a basis for more sustainable food consumption and production in the Nordic Region.

The database provides a clear and easy insight into different foods’ CO2 footprints, with all information in the database freely available.

The methodological approach to data collection, the extensive range of foods in the database, and the targeting of the food sector are unique to the Big Climate Database. With its simple format and design, the Big Climate Database and its calculation methods are scalable and can be easily adopted in other countries and sectors for the benefit of sustainability efforts across the board. In short, the database demonstrates how the easy and accessible dissemination of in-demand information can become a springboard for behavioural change at the consumer level.

In light of the database’s potential to change behaviours, the adjudication committee believes that Concito, Denmark’s green think-tank, should be awarded the 2021 Nordic Council Environment Prize.