How the World Really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future

by Vaclav Smil

This means that when bought in a Scandinavian supermarket, tomatoes from Almería’s heated plastic greenhouses have a stunningly high embedded production and transportation energy cost. Its total is equivalent to about 650 mL/kg, or more than five tablespoons (each containing 14.8 milliliters) of diesel fuel per medium-sized (125 gram) tomato! You can stage—easily and without any waste—a tabletop demonstration of this fossil fuel subsidy, by slicing a tomato of that size, spreading it out on a plate, and pouring over it 5–6 tablespoons of dark oil (sesame oil replicates the color well). When sufficiently impressed by the fossil fuel burden of this simple food, you can transfer the plate’s contents to a bowl, add two or three additional tomatoes, some soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds, and enjoy a tasty tomato salad. How many vegans enjoying the salad are aware of its substantial fossil fuel pedigree?