Average Americans eat approximately 226 pound meat The year, and they are expected to eat more -233 pounds- By 2033。 Food account 10 % to 30 % of households carbon dioxide emissionsAnd the meat accounts for more than half.
Began diet may be so Most effective single How to minimize the impact on the environment. But giving up meat remains the challenge for many people. If the meat is a part of the package so far, there are many ways to reduce carbon from meals. One of the most effective ones is to carefully select meat. Switching from beef to chicken can reduce the effects of food climate. half。
We usually provide excellent, better, and best options for making personal changes, but in the case of meat we have the worst habits to be added to your carbon dioxide emissions. Start by pointing out. The following suggestions for starting your own CO2 emission campaign by switching to more carbon -efficient meat and starting to leave animal proteins.
(Note: The impact of climate change in this article is measured by carbon dioxide or co2-EQ. This metric Possibility of global warming To the same amount of greenhouse gases, such as related methane, to the same amount of carbon dioxide related to meat production。 )
Different data
Scientists use the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to determine the impact on the environment of various activities. Unfortunately, the climate LCA produces different consequences, even in the strict thing by the respected institution.
Agricultural practices describe many variations, which are important factors for reducing your footprints. Exhausting the concentrated animals known as Cafo (“KAY-FOE”) is different from the family farm. In addition, local practices have fundamentally different CO2 emissions. For example, a family farm in the United States often uses plactis, which is often very different from Iceland’s practice produced by Lamb. Less than half The average CO2-EQ in the United States.
Even in the area, the emissions may be dramatically different. One study shows that the lamb production in Patagonia is equivalent to 10.64 kilograms to 41.32 kilograms CO2.
Selecting the measurement method also brings more differences. for example, Environmental working group LCA The emissions from three American agricultural systems in the meat are placed in 39.2 kg of CO2-EQ. on the other hand, Visual capitalist Based on POORE & Nemecek, the emissions from the lamb and mutton in 24 kg co2-EQ are estimated. Global research Thousands of farms. This does not mean that LCA is useless, but the average that can be applied to your situation.
This is an important fact about the carbon dioxide emission of meat: Beef and lamb may trade places, but they are all the tops. Instead of focusing on accurate scores, familiar consumers group the meat into the best category to the best category, and to reduce or eliminate these meat consumption.
Bad -beef
Average Americans eat Approximately 59.1 pound beef this year. 27-60 kg of CO2-EQ per kilogram has a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions 6 kg co2-EQ per serviceThe beef is the top carbon -intensive list of all foods.
OURWORLDINDATA Looking at both the gas emissions of short -lived (methane) and long life (carbon), beef products were placed near the top of both lists. Sadly, in the case of non -fogan vegetarian, the amount of emissions from cheese resembles the emission of beef and lamb, and is ranked on a daily basis on most meat (purchase). Local cheese Useful). No matter how you look at it, the cow climate cost is surprisingly high.
Bad -Malon and lamb
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) estimates that producing a pound of lamb produces more emissions than the same beef. However, Americans do not eat many lamb and mutton.
Consumption of lamb per person in the United States is about 1.3 pounds A stable figure even after the decrease after the 1960s. But 39.2 kg co2-EQ Replacing beef with a lamb per kilogram does not improve food prints.
In short, avoid both beef and lamb to minimize food prints. Replace these proteins with the following options and reduce the amount of emissions by half in the next meal.
Better -pork
The consumption of pork per person was so 52 pounds As of 2022. “Other white meat” is a better option than beef.
Unlike cows and sheep, pigs are not anti -MIN animals. In other words, it means that the methane is much less, but thanks to it. Intensive agriculture Pork affects the third highest environment in the meat.
The overall emission from pork production is less than one-third of the emissions from the meat, and the range of 7-12 kg CO2-EQ per kilogram.
Best -Foul
Poultry has a smaller food plate than other meat.
An international study of POORE & Nemecek shows that poultry is 1 kilogram for average 6.0 kg C02-EQ meat. And outside of the United States, production methods are not often carbon -intensive. EWG splits American poultry into chicken (6.9 kg co2-EQ) and seven-sided birds (10.9 kg co2-eQ). Note that the turkey has a tie with a pork.
Eggs are less impact than meat and may be more sustainable at home.
Many Americans have reduced food prints, reducing the consumption of beef and pork. Poultry consumption It is increasing. Americans ate on average 98.6 pounds Chicken per person in 2022, and only 15.8 pounds.
(Provisional) Best -Fish
Fish is a large, wide and diverse category. Cultivation shrimp and salmon Generate similar emissions in pork Wild fish There may be less impact than eggs.
If R takes timeSearch search Your Consupting Seafoodwatch.orgFish can be your last, most influential animal protein source.
Conclusion
In general, lean meat is worse than pork and worse than chicken.
However, where the animals are, how they are cultivated, and how far the meat moved and reached the plate can all make a big difference. Considering food safety and ethical concerns, efforts to carefully study all parts of the animal protein to be eaten can exceed more environmental choices.
Editor memo: This article was originally released on August 21, 2020. Some data in this article was updated in January 2025.
