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‘Eat less meat to stop climate change’
Mark Prigg and Sophie Goodchild25 Nov 2009
People should eat less meat to help combat climate change, a government-backed report says today.
Experts are calling for a 30 per cent reduction in the number of farm animals bred for meat.
The advice is due to be given at the launch of a major report into climate change and health. The report, part-funded by the Department of Health and compiled by leading scientists, says that decreased emissions from livestock production combined with the health benefits from eating less meat could lead to major reductions in global CO2 emissions.
Scientists behind the report also hope the move will mean a dramatic reduction in the beef, lamb and pork consumed in households across Britain. It is aimed at helping to cut the UK's carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, in line with current targets.
Recent UN figures suggest that meat production is responsible for about 18 per cent of global carbon emissions, including the destruction of forest land for cattle ranching and the production of animal feeds such as soy.
On average, a British person currently eats 50g of protein derived from meat each day - the equivalent of a chicken breast or a lamb chop.
The report, entitled Health and Climate Change and which will be published in The Lancet today, says: "If [a 30 per cent reduction in livestock] translates into reduced meat consumption, the amount of saturated fat consumed would drop sharply, which would have positive effects on health through reductions in heart disease."
Researchers believe a major reduction in meat-eating will also lead to a 15 per cent reduction in heat disease. It also calls for renewed focus on walking and cycling.
At the launch this afternoon, Mr Burnham will say that though climate change can seem a distant, impersonal threat, the associated costs to health are a very real and present danger.
Ministers will also call for governments across the world to recognise the danger that climate change poses to health in the run-up to the UN conference in Copenhagen next month.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband will say: "Climate change is a serious threat to public health. To protect the world's health we must stop dangerous climate change happening and limit temperature increases to no more than 2C. An ambitious and fair deal in Copenhagen will not only have major benefits in terms of reducing the climate change-related spread of infectious diseases and risks to food supply, but will also result in immediate green benefits in terms of a healthier environment and lifestyle for a low-carbon Britain - and a low-carbon world."
The new report was written by Professor Sir Andrew Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who headed an international task force of scientists to create it. "The public health benefits of mitigation policies have not had sufficient prominence in international negotiations," he said.
"The Copenhagen conference presents an important opportunity to choose those policies that can not only achieve needed reductions in greenhouse gases, but also move toward development and health goals."
Earlier this year climate change chief Lord Stern of Brentford echoed the call. He said: "Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world's resources. A vegetarian diet is better."
Reader views (26)
being a vegetarian or vegan doesn't have to be about animals all the time - it shouldn't be viewed as an impossible lifestyle - it should be viewed as the most responsible thing humans can do to combat GW. Think of how much rain forest and land, and clean water we can save if everyone gave up meat...think of how many more mouths we could feed! think of how much less Carbon we would be pumping onto our atmosphere
- Jekin, Lake City, FL, 14/07/2010 11:32
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No Alex, Indians believes in veg. food and eating non non- veg is not in thier religion.
- Varun Singh, ahmedabad, india, 21/01/2010 19:49
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The majority of crops such as soy are used as animal feed. If we stopped eating so many animals we would solve a lot of problems. simple. Animal agriculture is destroying the planet. It causes more global warming than ALL of the transport in the world!
Look up the UN report "Livestocks long shadow" for this information.
Go vegan and save some planet for your children.
- Jessica, London, 27/11/2009 01:25
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How strange there is no mention of animal welfare in this article.
Come on, we all know it, don't we? Shoving animals into overcrowded stalls and cages, forcibly impregnanting them, pumping them full of antibiotics, killing them sometimes after only a few weeks of life and often still conscious as they have their throats slit or are scalded in feather- and hair-removing tanks, just so people can eat burgers and sausages - you know it's wrong.
I hope one day these things will be viewed in much the same way that we view slavery now: with horror and incomprehension that whole societies could tolerate such brutality and injustice.
- Alice Adams, London, UK, 26/11/2009 18:28
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Less meat is the way to go. check out 'meat free monday' or is even 1 day a week too much to ask from each of you? How many cows can you fit in the field compared to how much grain/rice/veg you can grow? I cannot believe the utter ignorance of you people. you should be ashamed of yourselves and you should set your priorities straight. The world does not revolve around you. There is a bigger picture that you are completely missing.
- Kate Barrett, WALES, 26/11/2009 11:52
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Anyone who is too LAZY and SELFISH to actually consider how they themselves & their lifestyle affects this planet is absolutely plain Ignorant.
"WE MUST BE THE CHANGE WE WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD"
I can't believe people are too self-righteous and too stuck in the 'me,me,me' mentality to even consider a small change in their diet!?
too 'chicken' to give up your fatty foods and ready meals?
Too selfish to think about the larger picture? if that is the reaction of the general public (which is a totally IGNORANT and utterly contemptuous veiw by the way) then I am sincerely appalled by society. Are you seriously putting your own personal wants (and wants they are, not needs) above that of the future of our children and our planet? Is it more important to you that YOU can pop down KFC and eat a bucket of high fat fried chicken when you fancy it?
Climate change is a REAL threat. Do you really think that so much emphasis by WORLD leaders would be being placed on a myth? If we want to do something about it then stop being so lazy. No-one is asking for radical changes but slowly changing the way we think and behave and depend on such a cushy lifestyle that in the end only gives us heart disease and obesity. Just look at our kids these days! a change in our lifestyle and diet would be a positive thing. People who protest this are exactly like the smokers who objected to the smoking ban! Vegetarians and Vegans have got it right.
- Kate Barrett, Wales, 26/11/2009 11:49
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Well, I have absolutely no intention of changing my diet as all this climate change stuff is rubbish. The climate of our world has changed many times over the millenia and will continue to do so in the future. Climate change has been politised and for our current government, who see it as a 'cash cow', it is yet another way to extract large sums of money via taxes out of the population. I am sick and tired of all this pro-climate change stuff in the newspapers and in the media; why can't they report more about those against it?
An excellent TV programme - now available on DVD - called The Great Global Warming Scandal, shown on ITV in 2007 says in all. Also, an Australian Professor - Ian Plimer - has written a book called Heaven and Earth. Both TV prog and book should be compulsory for those who are pro-climate change.
- Judith, KIng's Lynn, Norfolk, UK, 25/11/2009 23:55
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Climate change/save the enviroment, if i eat less meat what year can i expect the ozone layer to get back to an acceptable level, if its not within the next thirty years i have no interest whatsoever, come to think of it i think i will get into my gas guzzler and go and buy a kebab.
- David, London, 25/11/2009 21:12
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This is ridiculous, and proof once agin of politically motivated science. It is often intensive arable crops rather than animal farming that presents far greater problems.
The amount of deforestation that has occurred over the last decade or two to grow crops like rice and soya has done far worse re human influenced climate change. The mega rice project destroyed an area the size of Belgium through burning and reducing forest which absorbs CO2. In Argentina soya is destroying forest so quickly the WWF are urging for farmers to share their land with cattle farmers and quickly.
- David Dent, Newport S.Wales, 25/11/2009 20:41
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For Christ sake people, why are you so upset! No one is telling you to STOP eating meat. Just cut down.
Fact: meat production is responsible for 18% of all pollution. Don't look at the others to point the finger.
We know that Britain's emissions add up to a total of only 2% in the world, but that's not the point. The point is, if more people stop eating meat, for one you will be healthier but also you will be doing a good thing. Don't look at India, they are no where at the same level of awareness as Britain.
Yes, I absolutely agree, it is natural for humans to consume meat, BUT NOT EVERY SINGLE DAY! It's because of morons who are so ignorant, that many people like me stop eating meat completely. There must be a balance.
And also to the people, who keep bringing up beans. If you honestly believe that meatless diet consists of beans only, I suggest you do a little reading.
Sorry, for getting so involved. I just don't understand people, who would rather point the finger than take responsibility. Stop buying cheap meat and buy organic veg instead and than go for the free-range meat. I promise it won't cost you any more, but all you will do is have a more balanced healthy diet and do the right thing for the environment.
- Ellen, London, UK, 25/11/2009 19:57
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Typical British response to anything the rest of the world ignores - we go for it like it is the new Religion.
Europe churns out millions of rules and regs - they ignore most of it - we ramp it up even tighter.
China, India are expanding exponentially thus causing more pollution, like we did, and now some dukwit in Whitehall says 'don't eat meat, drive 5 miles less, use one sheet of toilet paper, don't pick your nose or else the world will die!!'
Someone has to stop these dumb and dumbers from having any more influence over our lives.
We could save so much gas if we closed down Parliament right now.
Save us from experts and ministers with taxationitis.
- Chris Williams, Cardiff, 25/11/2009 19:02
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Alex C - Oh no, Not the "India and China do it, so there", argument. This seems to be the standard argument rolled out by every anti climate activist these days. So what do you suggest? That we somehow prevent the billions of people in Asia buying white goods, generating electricity through coal or nuclear power stations and also somehow prevent them from eating meat? How can we ever hope to do this if we do not set an example 1st? Or is it 1 rule for us and 1 rule for them? Don't do as I do, do as I say?
- Mcw, London, 25/11/2009 18:28
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what a load of Bullocks
- Tony Heath, Godalming, 25/11/2009 17:57
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No body is saying stop eating meat, they are just saying maybe instead of eating meat 3 times a day, 7 days a week you could eat a lunch, a dinner and a breakfast that are vegetarian.
I already observe a 2 x per week vege dinner, and it's not limited to beans and pulses either. In anycase it's brought the food bill down!
- Neelish, London, 25/11/2009 17:12
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"most dog/cat food is made up from animals not fit for human consumption"
So we are wasting arable land on dog and cat food then!
- Paul I, Watford, 25/11/2009 17:03
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I wonder if a corn-fed activist would taste anything like chicken?
- Steve, Lonodn, UK, 25/11/2009 16:45
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Anna, most dog/cat food is made up from animals not fit for human consumption so we are not using any extra land to feed our dogs and cats and quite frankly I would rather have a few less people like you and more dogs and cats etc !
- Linda Cliff, London, 25/11/2009 16:33
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"Earlier this year climate change chief Lord Stern of Brentford echoed the call. He said: "Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world's resources. A vegetarian diet is better."
I'm guessing here, but is Lord Stern a vegetarian using his clout to make everyone do it his way, according to his world view? It makes no sense merely reducing it all - they same argument could be used to further reduce things in the future ad infinitum - converstion to vegetarianism by stealth anyone?
In black and white terms, if human beings weren't (naturally) 'supposed' to eat meat, they wouldn't be able to eat it. After that it is simply a matter of supply and demand, both of which drive each other - reality vs agenda. It's been argued a million times before and neither side accepts the other's point of view. Ho hum - life goes on anyway. Let people CHOOSE.
- Rogan, Irving, 25/11/2009 15:55
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Oh Please stop! India and China are ramping up the amount of meat they eat as the population becomes richer. Why would this government think that a few of the middle classes in Chiswick eating more lentils and less pancetta is going to counter 2bn people eating more sheep.
- Alex C, London, 25/11/2009 14:48
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We should be looking at having fewer dogs and cats before changing our eating habits. Based on land required to grow feed for animals consumed by pets the carbon footprint of a large dog is the same as a 4x4. As a sideline we would also save some of the millions of birds and small mammals killed by cats.
- Anna T, London, 25/11/2009 14:21
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This is pretty obvious. We eat way to much meat than is good for our health anyway in the western world. Human beings don't need anymore than a palm sized piece of meat every now and then at most. Eating less meat would also help prevent obesity and other health problems and also reduce cruelty at factory/industrial farms.
I'm not a vegetarian, I believe that we were designed to consume meat, just not with every single meal or even every single day in enormous quantities. It's completely unecessary and indeed unhealthy.
- Mcw, London, 25/11/2009 14:09
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Ok, I will stop eating climate change activists.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 25/11/2009 14:06
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Another vacuous statement from the government. I'll eat less meat when they stop piling on aircraft to attend seminars, and stop lighting up public buildings at night. Fairs fair!!!
- Alan, carlisle uk, 25/11/2009 13:59
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Banning fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King etc. might be a start.
- Black Prince, London SW, 25/11/2009 13:42
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So we will all live on beans and pulses nothing wrong with that I guess except we will have a larger hole in the ozone owing to the amount of gas we will all produce ! Bet the Americans wont be giving up there meat. In this country we are now nursed by this nanny state from cradle to grave and one more thing less meat available higher prices dont you just LOVE living in good old England !
- Linda Cliff, London, 25/11/2009 13:25
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i always thought it was ships and planes were the biggest polluters nigel lawson seems like he's got it right although he was a rubbish chancellor
- Anon, leicestershire, 25/11/2009 13:24
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