In a recent study, researchers conclude that even if every country worldwide completely stops using fossil fuels from all sources starting today, it wouldn’t be enough. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from food production and consumption would still shove us over the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limits as early as mid-century.
The study suggests that to fight climate change, not only will we have to decarbonize our power grid and remove gas-powered vehicles off the road, we will also have to limit our meat consumption.
Food is one of the world’s largest contributors to GHG emissions from human activities, following transportation and electricity. According to the study published on November 6 in the journal Science, the food we produce, consume, and waste accounts for around 30% of global warming. This is mainly caused by the production and use of fertilizers, agricultural land use, and cow burps and farts.
Unlike GHG emitted by power plants and vehicles, which can be removed and replaced with solar power plants and electric buses, emissions from food production lack attractive solutions. The team evaluated the potential impact that different strategies can have on our food-based carbon footprint, and the most effective solution was to eat less meat.
The researchers used EAT-Lancet Commission’s dietary guidelines, which recommend a diet that focuses on both sustainability and personal health, to calculate their estimations. The study doesn’t propose we all turn 100% vegetarian or vegan; you can still enjoy a beef burger once a week, or more if you switch to chicken, turkey, or fish.
Other options include switching to a bug-based diet. Several companies are coming out with new delicious cricket-based snacks, cricket protein powders, bars, and even at-home LIVIN farms desktop Hives that allow users to harvest their own mealworms.
If reduced meat consumption is combined with other strategies, such as efficient land-use, farming strategies, higher crop yields, and less food waste – and if we act quick enough – we could limit our food-related GHG emissions to current levels by 2100. According to the UN, the global population is expected to reach around 11 billion by the end of this century.
