Carbon emissions from global agriculture is comparable to those generated by all the world's transport put together. Each of them making up around 15% of total emissions.
The rearing of livestock makes up around half the carbon from agriculture. A phenomenal amount.
With an increasing world population, and a growing proportion able to afford meat, these emissions can only go up, making a huge contribution to climate change.
Additional environmental impacts arise from all the forests that are being cleared to provide land and feed for the expanding livestock population.
All this is environmentally and economically unsustainable.
So what can be done? Will we all have to become vegetarian?
Not really, say scientists: We need to eat less red meat, especially beef, because it takes a lot more land to feed a cow (e.g. 28 times more than chicken) kilo for kilo; eat less meat (how about having a meat free day or having fish instead?); and stop wasting food (not just us consumers but all the along the supply chain).
If we all did this, we'd not only be helping the environment, we'd be saving money, and eating healthier. It's a win-win-win.
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