Another new study which tells us what many at the Daily Kos already know; we must drastically reduce meat consumption to avoid the worst effects of climate change. In fact, we can not avoid the worst effects of climate change without a drastic reduction in meat consumption.
Meat eaters in developed countries will have to eat a lot less meat, cutting consumption by 50%, to avoid the worst consequences of future climate change, new research warns.
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A study published in Environmental Research Letters warns that drastic changes in food production and at the dinner table are needed by 2050 in order to prevent catastrophic global warming.
It's arguably the most difficult challenge in dealing with climate change: how to reduce emissions from food production while still producing enough to feed a global population projected to reach 9 billion by the middle of this century.
So we have an opportunity to make a difference. Rather than get in a panic about the climate situation we can take
the most effective individual action possible by eliminating or at the least reducing our meat consumption
Nitrous oxide, released by fertilisers and animal manure, is the most potent of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The UN's climate body has called for deep cuts to those emissions.
Growing feed crops, for cattle and pigs, produces more of those emissions than crops that go directly into the human food chain. Eating less meat would reduce demand for fertiliser as well as reduce the amount of manure produced.
We are
taking steps to make our livestock consumption safer and that has to be done. But, to mitigate the worst effects of climate change we have to eliminate/reduce meat consumption
Check out my series Macca's Meatless Monday for tips, support and recipes in reducing meat consumption.