People with a high-meat diet contribute more than twice the diet-related greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere as a vegan, and a little less than twice the emissions of a vegetarian. They found that, on average, meat-eaters contributed 46 to 51 percent more food-related greenhouse gas emissions than fish eaters, 50 to 54 percent more than vegetarians and 99 to 102 percent more than vegans. The difference between high meat-eaters and vegetarians and vegans was even more distinct — high meat-eaters contributed an average 7.19 kg of CO2 equivalent each day, while vegetarians contributed 3.81 kgCO2e and vegans contributed 2.89 kgCO2e. The study, the researchers write, illustrates that eating less meat, even on the individual level, can help reduce carbon emissions. National governments that are considering an update of dietary recommendations in order to define a ‘healthy, sustainable diet’ must incorporate the recommendation to lower the consumption of animal-based products.” The diet of an average American requires the production of an extra ton and a half of CO2 equivalent compared to a vegetarian diet. “If you simply cut down from two burgers a week to one, you’ve already made a substantial difference” The more you do, the more it helps, but even doing just a little will make a difference.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 22:51:46 +0000
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