Can we take on a path to responsible beef production? How does factory beef production harm the climate? Is sourcing responsibly the way out? What can we do as individuals, if at all?
From the dawn of civilization, meat has been an integral part of our diet, providing essential macro and micro nutrients to keep us healthy. Today's society is facing a dilemma on the question of whether we should continue consuming meat or cut back due to environmental concerns. A widely-accepted argument against producing more meat is that it will cause irreversible damage to the planet. But is this really the case?
Understanding Beef Production:
In order to evaluate the environmental impact of meat production, it is important to understand how beef is produced. Beef cattle are typically reared on pasture land where they graze on grass and other vegetation. However, with the ever-growing human population and consequent demand for meat, more and more cattle are being farmed in feedlots, where they are fed a diet of grains and soybeans.
The Debate with Beef Mass Production:
The debate over whether meat production is bad for the environment is complex, and there are many factors to consider. Some ideas argue that grazing cattle on pasture land is environmentally friendly, as it allows them to graze and fertilize the soil with their manure, and that doing so does not consume any fossil fuels. However, others argue that rearing cattle in feedlots is more efficient and environmentally friendly, as it allows cattle to be fed a more concentrated diet and produce higher yields of meat per animal (which requires less land and crops to do). It is evident that the issue is complex, but let us focus on whether rearing cattle in feedlots are better for the environment. Some people claim that factory farming is harmful to the environment because of the amount of greenhouse gases produced when transporting cattle to and from farms. However, it can be difficult to accurately measure these emissions due to factors such as the distance travelled and the type of vehicle used.
Feeding billions of people is impossible without causing emissions. Even if someday we have zero-carbon tractors, refrigerators and cookers running on renewable energy and electric trucks to move our food, there are still unavoidable emissions. Rice emits methane. We cut down forests to make room for pastures and crops. And we emit nitrous oxide when we use fertilizers and manure. Worldwide food production is responsible for about 26% of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions. While 26% doesn’t sound THAT bad, it means that even if we extinguished all other sources of emissions today, the emissions from food alone would still use up our entire carbon budget by 2100.
In the most detailed meta analysis of life cycle analyses to date, beef emissions stand out at the top. On average, a kilogram of beef emits 71 kilograms of CO2 equivalents. Lamb is also high, with 40 kilograms. Pork emits 12 and poultry 10 kilograms. At the bottom we have lots of plant-based foods: Potatoes, for example, emit around 150 times less than beef.
While we can go into much more detail with this topic, such as emissions from food packaging, emissions from food miles, and emissions from food waste, for the purpose of this blog, let us focus on the steps we can take to continue eating beef products responsibly.
What Can We Do?
While it is evident that meat production has an environmental impact, the extent of this impact is still up for debate. It is clear that more research is needed to determine the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to produce beef. In the meantime, there are few things we can do on our level.
1. Know where your beef is coming from:
Not all beef is the same. The way cattle is reared also makes a huge difference: whether beef is farm raised or factory reared makes a world of difference. The most responsibly reared beef stands at 9 kilograms of emissions per 100 grams of protein, whereas the least responsibly-sourced beef stands at 105 kilograms of emissions for 100 grams of protein.
Buying locally is not always the solution if the local meat comes from a factory. When buying locally, we usually think that it will reduce the emissions caused due to transportation. But it turns out transportation and packaging only account for 0.5 to 2% of beef's total emissions. So, if you are buying locally sourced meat, it makes more sense to also find out if the beef is farm raised or factory raised.
2. Eat less beef:
I know this can be an upsetting thought. But hear me out here. The problem is that if we only eat the most responsibly sourced beef in the world, it would still have a much higher footprint than a veggie patty or a chicken burger. But at the end of the day, the choice is in each individual's hands. Whether you do a certain thing for your health or for the environment, the choice is yours to make.
Sources:
If you'd like to read more about this, or you are interested in knowing more about the sources of this article, please refer these sources.
Emissions from Food: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216
Environmental Impacts of Food Production: https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food
Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216
Transportation and Packaging emissions: https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions
Is Meat Really That Bad? Kurzgesagt Explanation Video: https://youtu.be/F1Hq8eVOMHs
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