While reducing meat consumption won’t entirely prevent climate change, it can help mitigate the impacts. This is where diets like veganism and vegetarianism step-in. Veganism relies solely on plant-based (ie. non-dairy and non-meat) consumption whereas vegetarians don’t eat meat products. Going fully vegan could decrease one's carbon footprint by nearly 73%. Additionally, these sorts of diets require much less water and land use, meaning that their overall environmental impact is fairly low.
However, this diet is certainly not viable for everyone. With the presence of food deserts and the additional expense of plant-based protein sources, the majority of us simply can’t eat this way. However, there are other alternatives. Because Cows are the largest producers of the agricultural release of greenhouse gases, simply decreasing one’s beef/dairy consumption would drastically decrease your carbon footprint.
If this is not feasible, there is something to be said for attempting to eat from a sustainable farmer. The growing “know your farmer” movement (which encourages buying locally) is an example of this. Gaining a basic understanding of how cattle is being raised can help you become more aware of your consumption impact. For example, a farmer who practices circular agriculture-- a resurging agriculture practice that simply encourages using biomass (ie. waste) within the rest of the agricultural practice-- will have a much smaller environmental impact than industrial farmers.
This is not to say that everyone should dramatically decrease meat or dairy consumption, but rather that we should all try and become a bit more conscious of what we consume. Rather than entirely switching to vegan or vegetarian diets, attempting meatless mondays or occasionally buying tofu can decrease your carbon footprint. This is just one of many ways we can all become more conscious consumers.
To understand this nuanced topic better, I would recommend the Omnivore’s Dilemma
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