UNEP: Reduce Global Meat Consumption

PARISThe United Nations' Environment Programme  (UNEP) released its "Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority Products and Materials" report, calling for a global reduction in meat consumption in order to help curb global warming.

The 149-page report is the latest in a series from the 27 high-level experts that constitute the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. The report provides science-based priorities for world environmental effortsranking products, materials and economic and lifestyle activities according to their environmental and resource impacts.

The report concluded current patterns of production and consumption of both fossil fuels and food are draining freshwater supplies; triggering losses of economically-important ecosystems such as forests; intensifying disease and death rates and raising levels of pollution to unsustainable levels.

The reports findings indicate that animals are fed more than half of all world crops, and that food production overall accounts for 19 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, 70 percent of global freshwater consumption and 38 percent of total land use. According to the report, sustainability goals can begin through dramatic improvements in household patterns of energy and food use including heating and cooling systems, gadgets and appliances and the way people travel. Perhaps controversially, it also calls for a significant shift in diets away from animal-based proteins toward more vegetable-based foods in order to dramatically reduce pressures on the environment.

The Panel noted that some efficiency gains are possible in terms of reducing the impacts of agriculture.  But adds that a 50 percent growth in population by 2050 will overwhelm or offset these gains. Therefore says the report, "a substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."