Carnivore <> Omnivore <> Herbivore | Carbon Footprints (Yale Environment 360)

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18 JUL 2011: 

MEAT EATER’S GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS CO2 FOOTPRINT OF FOOD CHOICES

Beef, dairy products, and lamb produce the most greenhouse gases of 20 popular meat, fish, dairy, and vegetable proteins, according to a new study by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG). Analyzing the entire life cycle of food production, the EWG said in its newly released Meat Eater's Guide that beef generates more than twice the CO2 emissions of pork, nearly four times that of chicken, and 13 times that of vegetable proteins, such as beans and lentils. Production of lamb and dairy products also caused high greenhouse gas emissions, the study said. The study showed that 20 percent of the emissions involved in meat production resulted from meat being wasted and thrown away. The EWG, working with renowned chef Mario Battali, recommended that consumers not eat meat one day a week for an entire year, an action that cumulatively in the U.S. would equal taking 7.6 million cars off the road. The report also recommended that consumers eat grass-fed and pasture-raised animals whenever possible since those methods of meat production produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fattening livestock in feedlots.


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