As far as I know, no one's trying to pass a law banning your consumption of steaks. So this might be what's considered a strawman argument. As for what dictat

As far as I know, no one's trying to pass a law banning your consumption of steaks. So this might be what's considered a strawman argument. As for what dictates the consumption and environmental impact, in theory it should be your ability to afford that steak. The price of beef, however, from calf to cow to transport to butchering to your plate, is so heavily subsidized all along the way--and the externalities like environmental impact mostly unaddressed--that that steak you're getting is the deal of the millenium. I'd like to see how much that steak would cost if it weren't subsidized, and its pollutant side-effects were properly assessed and taxed. Maybe once a month is all you'd be able to afford.