My Eco Tip Twelve

Eat Less Meat

Scientists say that changing what we eat could offset years of carbon emissions. Switching to a plant-based diet could offset 16 years of carbon emissions.

Growing plant protein such as beans and nuts, requires a fraction of the land that livestock does. Yet 83% of all agricultural land is given over to animal husbandry; shrinking the space available for carbon absorbing landscapes like forests and vegetation. However, by scaling back agricultural land use and allowing greenery to regrow we could double our carbon budget.

Such a shift could have the greatest impact on higher income countries where diets can be changed without jeopardizing food security. Reducing meat consumption could also have benefits for improving water quality and quantity as well as increasing biodiversity and wildlife habitats,  and reducing the likelihoods of pandemics.

Man-made emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are a prime driver of global warming. Agriculture accounts for a quarter of total carbon emissions. Humanity needs urgent and rapid reductions in order to meet the Paris Agreement aims of a rise in global temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius.

Would you switch to a plant-based diet?

Bottom Line

Meat consumption is high in the United States, China and many other high-income countries. If emissions from meat production were suddenly halved, it would have a big impact on global warming, reducing our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions which have been a major driver behind climate change since long before industrialization. Further, deforestation continues to be another major driver of global warming as areas that once were forests are overtaken by high-stock agribusinesses.