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is there a way to significantly cut down on my carbon footprint by only eating certain animals?

by sluggg 9y ago

nyolfen 9y ago
look into farm to plate supply chains
mac01021 9y ago
If you eat a lot of farm-raised beef and then start getting all those calories from chicken instead it will indeed be a significant reduction of your carbon footprint. If you give up air travel, while you're at it, you might cut it just as much again, or more. (depending, of course, on how much you fly).
hrydgard 9y ago
Chicken is best, pork second and beef the worst. The difference is bigger than you'd expect.
philipkglass 9y ago
Ruminant meats (beef, lamb, goat) have a higher GHG impact due to enteric fermentation producing methane. Numerically, you can't cut a lot of your GHG impact by reducing/switching meat consumption if you are living an ordinary middle class first world lifestyle in other respects. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases Methane accounts for about 10% of warming from anthropogenic US GHG emissions. Enteric fermentation in ruminants accounts for 25% of that 10%, and agricultural manure another 10%. So you can cut maybe 25% of 10% (2.5%) from baseline-American emissions by eliminating red meat from your diet, or 35% of 10% (3.5%) by eliminating animal products altogether. It's similar in the European Union: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Greenhouse_gas_emission_statistics http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/... Agriculture accounts for 10% of emissions, and meat production is just a portion of that. Personal dietary changes are at least quick and inexpensive, even if they don't lead to deep emissions reductions. I stopped eating red meat a few years ago because of a family history of heart attacks. It actually saved money on my grocery bills.

is there a way to significantly cut down on my carbon footprint by only eating certain animals?

by sluggg 9y ago

is there a way to significantly cut down on my carbon footprint by only eating certain animals?

nyolfen 9y ago

look into farm to plate supply chains

mac01021 9y ago

If you eat a lot of farm-raised beef and then start getting all those calories from chicken instead it will indeed be a significant reduction of your carbon footprint. If you give up air travel, while you're at it, you might cut it just as much again, or more. (depending, of course, on how much you fly).

hrydgard 9y ago

Chicken is best, pork second and beef the worst. The difference is bigger than you'd expect.

philipkglass 9y ago

Ruminant meats (beef, lamb, goat) have a higher GHG impact due to enteric fermentation producing methane. Numerically, you can't cut a lot of your GHG impact by reducing/switching meat consumption if you are living an ordinary middle class first world lifestyle in other respects. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases Methane accounts for about 10% of warming from anthropogenic US GHG emissions. Enteric fermentation in ruminants accounts for 25% of that 10%, and agricultural manure another 10%. So you can cut maybe 25% of 10% (2.5%) from baseline-American emissions by eliminating red meat from your diet, or 35% of 10% (3.5%) by eliminating animal products altogether. It's similar in the European Union: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Greenhouse_gas_emission_statistics http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/... Agriculture accounts for 10% of emissions, and meat production is just a portion of that. Personal dietary changes are at least quick and inexpensive, even if they don't lead to deep emissions reductions. I stopped eating red meat a few years ago because of a family history of heart attacks. It actually saved money on my grocery bills.