Headlines about ‘going veggie’ obscure the real message of how we can combat global warming, says Mark Driscoll
Unlike your average dairy cow, the impact of food consumption on the planet is not black and white. It's complex, but has long been oversimplified, creating a polarised debate on the merits, or not, of vegetable versus meat-based diets.
The media thrives on such debates. Look at what happened to Lord Stern. In an interview with a paper, he [apparently] advised people to "give up meat to save the planet", before making "a demand for behavioural change". Everyone seized on this as a tidy 'climate chief says go veggie to save the planet'.
In fact, this isn't what Lord Stern said, as he asserted in a letter the next day: "It's a fact that the production of meat can be relatively carbon-intensive because of the energy used to rear and feed the animals, and the methane emitted by livestock. I was not demanding people become vegetarians, but instead suggested that they should be aware that the more meat that they eat, the higher the emissions of greenhouse gases."
We'd agree. Food consumption is responsible for 20% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and livestock is the hotspot. When the way land is used overseas in the production of our food is included, this rises to 30% up there with transport and energy.
The How Low report we published with the Food Climate Research Network in January looked at how emissions from food consumption can be cut 70% by 2050. The conclusion was that we need a more sustainable diet, balanced for health and environmental reasons, which, given the impact of livestock on climate change, will likely include less meat and dairy. Less, not none. How much less depends on the advancements made in terms of decarbonisation of the general economy, production efficiencies, reductions in waste and nitrous oxide and methane emissions abatement.
These are all areas where the food industry can drive change. Retailers have huge sway on consumer shopping habits, so could they, for instance, be looking at how promotions and special offers can steer consumers towards greener and healthier choices while adding benefit to their brands?
Mark Driscoll heads WWF-UK's One Planet Food programme.
Unlike your average dairy cow, the impact of food consumption on the planet is not black and white. It's complex, but has long been oversimplified, creating a polarised debate on the merits, or not, of vegetable versus meat-based diets.
The media thrives on such debates. Look at what happened to Lord Stern. In an interview with a paper, he [apparently] advised people to "give up meat to save the planet", before making "a demand for behavioural change". Everyone seized on this as a tidy 'climate chief says go veggie to save the planet'.
In fact, this isn't what Lord Stern said, as he asserted in a letter the next day: "It's a fact that the production of meat can be relatively carbon-intensive because of the energy used to rear and feed the animals, and the methane emitted by livestock. I was not demanding people become vegetarians, but instead suggested that they should be aware that the more meat that they eat, the higher the emissions of greenhouse gases."
We'd agree. Food consumption is responsible for 20% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and livestock is the hotspot. When the way land is used overseas in the production of our food is included, this rises to 30% up there with transport and energy.
The How Low report we published with the Food Climate Research Network in January looked at how emissions from food consumption can be cut 70% by 2050. The conclusion was that we need a more sustainable diet, balanced for health and environmental reasons, which, given the impact of livestock on climate change, will likely include less meat and dairy. Less, not none. How much less depends on the advancements made in terms of decarbonisation of the general economy, production efficiencies, reductions in waste and nitrous oxide and methane emissions abatement.
These are all areas where the food industry can drive change. Retailers have huge sway on consumer shopping habits, so could they, for instance, be looking at how promotions and special offers can steer consumers towards greener and healthier choices while adding benefit to their brands?
Mark Driscoll heads WWF-UK's One Planet Food programme.
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