If you’re concerned about the environment, you might ask if you should keep eating meat.
Food production influences the environment since it needs water and land. As a result, consuming foods created with fewer resources (and thus do not significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions) is frequently considered beneficial for the environment.
Plant meals are often more environmentally friendly than meat and animal products, and vegan or vegetarian diets are frequently classified as sustainable.
However, there are other factors to consider when assessing the environmental effect of meat. Indeed, there may be ways to consume meat responsibly and less without entirely giving it up.
This article delves into the subtleties of meat’s environmental impact before offering suggestions for eating meat on an eco-friendly diet.
The environmental impacts of meat
Raising animals for sustenance necessitates a significant quantity of land and water. It also adds to greenhouse gas emissions via livestock feed, dung, and methane emitted during burping (1).
In reality, cattle account for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Furthermore, industrial animal production contributes to deforestation, soil erosion, freshwater contamination, and air pollution (1, 2).
Beef is claimed to have a higher environmental effect than dairy, pig, fish, eggs, or poultry. However, the ecological impact of these items varies depending on how they’re produced (3).
Plant foods that are whole and little processed, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and olive oil, are among the lowest environmental consequences (3).
Still, comparing every animal and plant product is challenging. Certain plant meals, such as nuts and highly processed foods, have far more significant environmental implications than other plant-based choices.
When considering meat’s ecological effect, it’s also vital to evaluate the size of meat production — small farms versus feedlots — because there are numerous complexities in the dispute over livestock’s involvement in climate change.
Spotlight on beef’s environmental impact
While the meat business consumes more resources and contributes more to climate change than plant foods, specific meat production methods are more environmentally friendly than others.
Furthermore, while beef is commonly seen as worse for the environment than other meats, some studies show otherwise.
Beef, for example, is produced more effectively in the United States than in most other countries. Better breeding and feed additives enable farmers to employ fewer cattle to feed more people while reducing environmental consequences (4, 5).
They are changing the feed of dairy cows to add a specific type of seaweed that has been demonstrated to enhance digestion and reduce methane emissions by up to 60%. Seaweed supplements have been shown to reduce methane emissions in beef cattle by up to 80%. (6, 7).
According to current studies, beef production in the United States accounts for 3.7 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions and less than 0.5 percent of world emissions. The agriculture industry accounts for 10% of total US emissions, while transportation accounts for 29%. (8, 9, 10).
Proper management of cattle may have environmental benefits.
Although beef cattle farming produces more greenhouse emissions than poultry, pork, or dairy, the majority of cattle in the United States are reared on terrain unsuitable for growing vegetables and other plant foods. Using this area to farm meat may be an effective method of feeding people (9).
Beef and other meats also provide health advantages. The heart is high in protein and includes essential micronutrients.
Many communities in the United States and throughout the world rely on cattle for food and employment.
Furthermore, some individuals may not access nutritionally adequate plant-based diets; thus, reducing meat consumption may impair their nutrition and livelihood. Meat consumption may also be a component of their culture or customs.
Finally, well-managed cattle may contribute to soil and land health. Proper grazing procedures may make land more flood-resistant and preserve carbon in the ground rather than discharged into the sky.
These methods involve feeding cows on long grasses while preventing overgrazing and soil degradation with their hooves. As a result, the grasses retain healthy, lengthy roots capable of handling water and sequestering carbon in the soil (11).
Grazing cows may also assist in avoiding wildfires by reducing the amount of grass that can catch fire (12).
Spotlight on CAFOs
Food production has some environmental impact, which varies greatly depending on the show.
CAFOs, often known as feedlots in the beef sector, have severe environmental consequences (13).
CAFO animals are confined in tight quarters and are not permitted to graze. Their excrement pollutes the surrounding land, water, and air, and the congested circumstances also serve as a breeding ground for illness and infection that may transfer to people (14).
Grass-fed, grass-finished, and pasture-raised meat and animal products are typically more environmentally friendly than meat from CAFOs and feedlots.
Farmers that raise this meat to strive to restore ecosystems and limit environmental impacts on soil and water. They, for example, manage waste more effectively than CAFOs and may employ grazing strategies that produce healthy, flood-resistant soil.
Nonetheless, others argue that grass-fed and-finished beef may emit more greenhouse gases than other varieties.
Grass-fed cows live longer than feedlot cows, generating more methane through burps during their lifetime. Furthermore, if more people opt to consume grass-fed beef, the number of animals required to produce this meat may grow (15, 16).
However, according to other research, the additional emissions are countered by the carbon that grazing cows store in the soil (17).
How to eat meat more sustainably.
It isn’t easy to assess the environmental impact of meat.
While some environmentalists advise avoiding all meat and animal products to address climate change, many additional factors justify including animal products in eco-friendly diets.
Eating more whole, less processed plant foods is a positive move. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are examples of these foods. Limiting total meat consumption and selecting responsibly reared animal products are also beneficial.
Here are some suggestions for including meat in an eco-friendly diet.
Choose meats that are grass-fed or pasture-raised
Before purchasing meat, read the label and minimize or avoid items grown in a CAFO or feedlot.
If the label does not state grass-fed or pasture-raised, it was most likely reared in a CAFO.
If you can speak directly with the farmer at a farmers market, you might enquire about the sustainable measures they use.
Although grass-fed or pasture-raised cows emit more methane during their lives than conventionally grown cattle, the overall impact on the surrounding ecology is substantially lower – and maybe even favorable.
Invest in a meat share
Local farms may offer meat shares, which allow you to buy a package of sustainably grown meat and pick it up every week, month, or quarter.
Reduce your portions of meat
Small quantities of meat, such as in a side dish or garnish, may help you reduce your total intake.
Experiment with meals that are mostly plant-based but contain a tiny quantity of meat, such as salads with beans as the primary protein source and a few pieces of chicken or stir-fries with plenty of veggies and grains and a little bit of beef.
Set a realistic goal for reducing your meat intake
Don’t try to chop out all of the meat at once. Instead, consider the following ideas to consume less meat without completely removing it from your diet:
- Try Meatless Monday, an international movement that encourages individuals to go meatless on Mondays to reduce their meat consumption.
- Only eat meat at dinner.
- Make entirely plant-based meals.
Choose an option that works for you and proceed from there.
Spread out one serving of meat over several recipes
You can include minimal quantities of meat into various dishes without it taking center stage.
One pound (454 grams) of ground beef, for example, can be used to make burgers, tacos, and soups.
You may prepare burger patties using beans, whole grain, and a tiny bit of beef, then add half mushrooms and half meat to your favorite taco dish. Finally, simmer the remaining meat in a bean-based chili.
Focus on adding new plant foods to your diet rather than restricting meat
If you’re having trouble reducing your meat consumption, possibly owing to convenience or habit, focus on new meals you can try instead.
Look for plant-forward recipes on food blogs and cookbooks, and make it a point to try a different meal each week. Try dal or lentil-heavy grain bowls if you’ve never had lentils before. Lentils can also be meatless “meatloaf” or stuffed bell peppers.
The bottom line
Meat, like other foods, requires resources to produce. While it has a more significant environmental impact than plant meals, the overall picture is more complicated.
CAFO-raised animals have a considerably more significant impact on land, water, air, nearby communities, and global warming than pasture-raised and grass-fed animals. On the other hand, growing plant foods is typically seen to be more environmentally beneficial.
If you want to adopt an eco-friendly diet, try limiting your meat consumption and eating more whole, minimally processed plant foods. Choose pasture-grown, grass-fed, or sustainably raised meat wherever possible.
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