Originally published by The Spinoff . Giving up animal products is one of the best things you can do for the planet. But can you have your steak and eat it too? Another day, another deluge of alarming statistics about meat eating .
There are four chickens for every person alive on Earth. Livestock is responsible for 11-17% of global emissions, making it as bad or worse than the entire transportation (15%), forestry (6%) and manufacturing (12%) sectors. The expansion of meat consumption and production will threaten the habitats of 17,000 species by 2050.
While 83% of the global calorie supply and 62% of the global protein supply comes from plant-based food, 80% of the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock. Dairy isn’t off the hook either, with butter and cheese being some of the least climate-friendly foods we commonly consume in New Zealand. The science is clear: eating a plant-based diet is one of the most impactful ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
But for the carnivorous foodies among us, it’s also a buzzkill idea. “I’ll catch public transport for the rest of my life,” the foodies wail, “but you will prise the salami from my cold, dead hands.”.