India, Oct. 4 -- That food systems contribute a large chunk of greenhouse gas emissions was well known. A new EAT-Lancet Commission study has found that the diets of the 30% of the world's richest contributes the bulk of this. But how does one assess the carbon footprint of their plate? Reading Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air, by Sarah Louise Briddle, professor at the University of York, should offer some clues. The book explains the impact of food choices on planetary warming, leaning on some commonly eaten dishes in the West. The carbon load of each ingredient and the cooking involved is presented in easy-to-digest illustrations. Scenarios are discussed - what if a particular ingredient is substituted for another or the cooking involved is eliminated partly or entirely. The book can guide climate-conscious eating, even as it weighs the merit of animal- versus plant-source diets in a clinical manner, given that food choices are prone to politicisation....