Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2014 · 454 citations · 48 references
Livestock-based food production accounts for about one‑fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, is the largest land user, and contributes to water pollution, biodiversity loss, and species extinctions. The study aims to empower consumers to reduce these impacts by providing numerically sound information on the environmental burdens of animal products. To achieve this, the authors present a methodology that enables direct comparison of the relative environmental impacts of meat, eggs, and dairy. The analysis shows that reducing beef consumption is the most effective way to lower the environmental costs of a diet.
Significance Livestock-based food production is an important and pervasive way humans impact the environment. It causes about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is the key land user and source of water pollution by nutrient overabundance. It also competes with biodiversity, and promotes species extinctions. Empowering consumers to make choices that mitigate some of these impacts through devising and disseminating numerically sound information is thus a key socioenvironmental priority. Unfortunately, currently available knowledge is incomplete and hampered by reliance on divergent methodologies that afford no general comparison of relative impacts of animal-based products. To overcome these hurdles, we introduce a methodology that facilitates such a comparison. We show that minimizing beef consumption mitigates the environmental costs of diet most effectively.
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