Meat eaters: 60% more greenhouse gases

Researchers at the University of Leeds examined the carbon footprint of 3'000 foods and found that non-vegetarians produce 59% more greenhouse gas emissions than vegetarians.

For the study, Darren Greenwood, lead researcher at the University of Leeds, and his team conducted a detailed analysis of more than 3'000 different foods, assessing the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production of each individual food.

As part of the study, the researchers linked the foods to an automated online dietary assessment of 212 adults over three 24-hour periods. Differences in greenhouse gas emissions were examined according to dietary patterns, demographic characteristics, and nutrient intake recommended by the World Health Organization, in order to determine whether a less environmentally friendly diet is also frequently more highly processed, more energy-dense, and lower in nutrients.

Meat dominates the carbon footprint

The researchers found that meat is associated with 32% of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions and that dairy products account for 14% of the carbon footprint of food.Other foods with a notable impact on the climate include beverages such as tea, coffee, and alcohol, which account for 15% of diet-related greenhouse gases, as well as cakes, biscuits, and sweets, which make up nearly 9%.

«Meat was the dominant factor in diet-related greenhouse gas emissions and accounted for most of the differences between greenhouse gas emissions associated with vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, as well as between the differences in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the diets of men and women.», according to the study's authors. Beverages such as tea and coffee, as well as cakes, biscuits, and confectionery, however, accounted for a quarter of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions and represented alternative avenues for reducing dietary greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, the study found that greenhouse gas emissions from non-vegetarian diets are 59% higher than those from vegetarian diets.In addition, the study found that men's diets generate 41% higher emissions than women's, which is primarily attributable to higher meat consumption, according to the study's authors. «Those who adhered to dietary guidelines generally had lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting that future measures to promote sustainable dietary patterns and plant-based diets could be beneficial for both individual and global health», according to the study's authors.

The high environmental impact of meat

The study's findings are consistent with previous research showing that animal-based foods, particularly beef, have the greatest environmental impact. A study published earlier this year in the journal Nature Food found that meat production is responsible for 57% of greenhouse gas emissions — twice as much as the cultivation and processing of plants for food.

For the study, researchers quantified the greenhouse gas emissions from the production and consumption of plant-based and animal-based foods, creating a database containing an emissions profile for 171 crops and 16 animal products from more than 200 countries.

While the study concludes that the use of cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals for food production accounts for the majority of all emissions from food production, the researchers found that beef alone is responsible for a quarter of emissions from the raising and growing of food. The cultivation and processing of plants for food production, by contrast, accounts for only 29% of emissions, with the remainder coming from other land uses such as cotton or rubber.

Environmental experts have pointed out that raising and slaughtering animals for food production is responsible for higher greenhouse gas emissions, as not only is more land and water required, but the exhaust gases and manure from the animals also contribute to the carbon footprint of meat, as do the agricultural areas used to feed the animals rather than people.