Climate change and diets: why should you care?

Before we start, what even is climate change?

Climate change is an alteration to the composition of our atmosphere which, in addition to natural climate variability, can be attributed to the direct or indirect impacts of human activity.

Its associated risks are rising sea levels, desertification, extreme weather events as well as general harm to ecosystems on which we rely.

Who is responsible?

Some argue that western European nations are responsible as the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century was heavily reliant on coal. Others blame economists for developing models pursuing ever-increasing GDP growth. More recently, oil & gas companies have been targeted by climate activists.

However, blaming others for a global issue is too easy. By doing so, we detach ourselves from any responsibility and expect solutions to come from others. We are all involved in climate change to varying extents, either as victims or as contributors. We should all question how we’re individually contributing to it.

What are the environmental impacts of our diets?

Countries with high levels of economic development are likely to rely on meat and dairy heavy diets. Indeed, the average American consumes 100 kilograms of meat per year. However, the livestock industry is a large contributor to climate change and exerts intense pressure on our natural resources.

Worldwide, animal farming contributes to 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions with 65% of those resulting from red meat and dairy production.
To produce 1kg of beef, 15 000 litres of water are required whereas lentils, an alternative source of protein, require 2500 litres per kg. Additionally, we should question our ability to feed an ever-growing population with a “western diet”. The livestock industry uses approximately 70% of agricultural land and every second, 1 acre of land is cleared for animal agriculture. To feed the cattle, a billion tons of grain are produced yearly. This food could be used to feed 3.5 billion people if consumed directly. Compounded with an ever-growing population, a meat-heavy and resource-intensive diet does not appear to be a sustainable way to feed an expected population of 10 billion by 2050.

What is our role as individual consumers?

Vegan diets have been on the rise in the last decade. These diets avoid meat, eggs, dairy and other animal-derived products. They can be taken up by consumers for individual health benefits or ethical and environmental reasons. An Oxford study has estimated that cutting meat and dairy products from our diets can reduce our individual carbon footprint by up to 73%, making it one of the most effective ways to reduce our environmental impact.

We have some degree of power and responsibility to reduce our contribution to climate change. Veganism is not a diet that has zero contributions and I am not advocating we all go vegan tomorrow as that would be far from sustainable in the short term. Global supply chains and agricultural output levels are not suited to feed a world population solely with vegan food. Additionally, diets are a part of our culture, which does not change overnight. However, we have a moral duty to future generations to be increasingly conscious of the environmental impacts of our diets. We cannot continue to blame others for an issue that is caused by all of us.

How can we make a difference?
Small actions can have large impacts whether it is deciding to adopt a “less constraining” Mediterranean diet or even trying meatless Mondays. Maya Almarez, a climate and environmental researcher at UC Davis, argues that eliminating 90% of our meat intake is far more important than eliminating all of it.

Overall, if we want to reduce our personal environmental impact and carbon footprint, it is our responsibility to question the content of our plates. We can collectively signal to businesses demand growth for a more environmentally sustainable way of feeding the world.

This article is a recycled and updated (and arguably improved!) version of a blog post I wrote whilst working for Green Light for Business (GL4B). GL4B is an initiative aiming to promote awareness on environmental sustainability. It is also actively working to improve the sustainability performance of Bocconi University. You can access all of their blog posts on this website.

Also, thank you for reading these articles! I hope you’re learning as much as I am. If you want me to write about a particular topic relating to climate change or sustainability, do let me know and I would be happy to.