By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE
The summer holidays are nearly here which would normally mean there’s never been a better time to fire up the barbeque and line it with beef burgers.
But a new study shows you might want to swap them for meat-free alternatives if you want to do your bit to save the planet.
University of Oxford experts say eating just 100g of meat per day – less than a single burger – creates four times more greenhouse gases compared with a vegan diet.
The researchers now want to see prompt policy action from government and organisations to trigger ‘dietary shifts away from animal-based foods’.
Previous studies have already suggested there are personal health benefits from ditching a meat diet, including reduced risk of heart disease.
Even low meat diets reduce environmental impact by about 30 per cent across most environmental measures compared to high meat eaters
The new study was led by experts from the Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) project at the University of Oxford, which is working to understand the ‘health, environmental, social and economic effects of meat and dairy production’.
‘Our dietary choices have a big impact on the planet,’ said lead author Peter Scarborough, professor of population health at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and LEAP project investigator.
‘Our results, which use data from over 38,000 farms in over 100 countries, show that high meat diets have the biggest impact for many important environmental indicators, including climate change and biodiversity loss.
‘Cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.’
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But this study contradicts previous studies:
Carnegie Mellon Study: ‘Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon.’ ‘Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than you would think. Eggplant, celery and cucumbers look particularly bad when compared to pork or chicken.’
VEGETARIAN AND “HEALTHY” DIETS COULD BE MORE HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Carnegie Mellon Study Finds Eating Lettuce Is More Than Three Times Worse in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Eating Bacon
By Shilo Rea / 412-268-6094 / [email protected]
Contrary to recent headlines — and a talk by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the United Nations Paris Climate Change Conference — eating a vegetarian diet could contribute to climate change.
In fact, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University, following the USDA recommendations to consume more fruits, vegetables, dairy and seafood is more harmful to the environment because those foods have relatively high resource uses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per calorie. Published in Environment Systems and Decisions, the study measured the changes in energy use, blue water footprint and GHG emissions associated with U.S. food consumption patterns.
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Study: Organic farming may be making ‘climate change’ worse – Analysis shows organic farming has increased carbon emissions per acre
