One of the world’s leading medical journals, The Lancet, has published a new report that highlights the climate change and human health benefits of reducing meat production and consumption by 30%. The summary of the report, entitled The health benefits of tackling climate change says that reducing adult consumption of animal products by 30% would lead to a 15% reduction in heart disease in the UK alone.
The report, sponsored by the UK Government’s Department of Health and the World Health Organisation amongst others, is the latest to point to the need for a reduction in meat consumption in the rich world in order to combat climate change. One of its key messages states that “Achieving a substantial cut in greenhouse-gas emissions will depend on reducing the production of food from livestock and on technological improvements in farming”.
Globally, livestock production is escalating and is predicted to double to 120 billion farm animals a year by mid-Century. Factory farming is acting as the engine-room of the livestock explosion, enabling large numbers of animals to be reared in small spaces. Compassion recently hosted one of the world’s gurus on environmentalism, Lester Brown to discuss the links between global food security, climate change and factory farming. The take home message from the event was that business as usual is not an option; that sustainability centres as much around our plate as our car; and that a wise-use principle is needed in our food system.
The Lancet study adds to the growing weight of evidence that less is more, particularly when it comes to livestock products. That consuming less meat and dairy products will benefit public health as well as help combat climate change. In Compassion’s view, by eating less, but better quality animal products – higher welfare meat and dairy – we can not only help ourselves and the planet, but also reduce a huge amount of animal suffering too. Now that’s got to be good news.
