Carbon footprint of meat

I don't usually promote the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) because I am pro-nuclear energy but they posted an interesting fact sheet on the carbon footprint of our favorite foods. This research is actually from an article in Scientific American that shows that diet can be more important than cars in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus combating global warming.


The carbon footprint of food includes all of the fossil fuels that that went into producing the fertilizer, pumping irrigation water for the crop to grow, emissions from converting forest land to grazing land, transportation of feed and packaged products to consumers, and even methane released from the animals’ digestion and manure. Therefore, meat has a high carbon footprint because you have to grow the crops to feeds the animals and then also have land for the animals, and all of the transportation in between.

The NRDC estimates that if all Americans eliminated just one quarter-pound serving of beef per week, the reduction in global warming gas emissions would be equivalent to taking four to six million cars off the road. The single-most green/sustainable thing that you can do as an individual is simply eat less meat. You will reduce greenhouse gas emissions more so than you would than taking public transit or driving a hybrid car. And you don't even have to be close to vegan or mostly plant-based, like me. Try doing Meatless Mondays or reducing your portion size of meat and adding vegetables. Your health will benefit, as well.

Would knowing the carbon footprint of your food impact your eating habits?

How do you try to be more sustainable in your daily life?