The average person eats
about 40kg of meat per year.
In developed countries,
it’s double that…
or about the same weight
as an adult dolphin.
But experts now advise cutting down
the amount of meat we eat,
to help reduce climate change.
So, here’s a thought experiment…
Around 15% of all greenhouse gasses
emitted by humans
are from livestock production.
If we all became vegan, these
emissions would be slashed.
Eating meat takes up space…
a lot of it.
Around 80% of all farmland
is dedicated to meat
and dairy production.
That’s about the size of Europe, the
US, China, and Australia combined.
Meat and dairy typically provide
18% of our calories,
but account for 60% of greenhouse
gas emissions from agriculture.
A report by the UN’s climate body,
the IPCC,
recommends we all reduce
the amount of meat we eat.
And also how much we waste.
The report found 8-10%
of all global emissions
are down to food loss
and food waste.
But not all meat is the same.
Large-scale farming of beef
has a particularly high impact,
and has been a big factor in the
loss of the Amazon rainforest.
When cows digest their food,
they produce methane -
a powerful greenhouse gas
that’s about 28 times more powerful
than carbon dioxide over 100 years.
And when cows burp,
this methane is emitted.
One cow releases between 70 and 100kg
of methane every year,
and there are around 1.5 billion
cattle in the world today.
But it’s not that simple.
A lot depends on how
the meat is produced.
Most meat is mass-produced
by large-scale industry,
and this can come with a heavy
environmental impact.
But small-scale farming of animals can
have a lower environmental footprint.
And sometimes - for example
in the case of traditional grazing -
it can be beneficial
in terms of biodiversity.
Vegan alternatives can also
come with their own problems.
For example, large-scale production
of soya can lead to deforestation,
and almond production requires
huge amounts of water.
But if everyone switched
to a plant-based diet,
it could bring several
positive health benefits.
One study estimated that
if everyone ate a vegan diet -
with lots of fresh fruit and veg -
around eight million deaths could
be avoided around the world by 2050.
There are no simple answers.
But if everyone were to change
how they look at food, cultivate it,
and eat it in a sustainable way,
we could, potentially,
change the world.
Thanks for watching.
Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell to receive notifications for new videos.
See you again soon!
