Report: Eating less meat could help meet climate change goals

The Royal Institute of International Studies released a report on the 24th, saying that driven by the strong demand for meat consumption, the animal husbandry industry at full capacity has become a "big producer" of greenhouse gas emissions, which is contrary to the global efforts to reduce emissions to control warming. It is necessary for countries to promote healthy diets and reduce meat consumption.

The report was produced by researchers from the Institute and the University of Glasgow in the UK. According to the report, meat consumption in many developed countries has reached a very high level, and with the rise of consumption in developing countries, global meat consumption is expected to increase by 76% from the current level by the middle of this century.

The report said that if the meat consumption of the growing global population reaches the level of developed countries, "it will definitely bring huge social and environmental costs". This is because livestock production is often an inefficient use of scarce land and water resources, and it accounts for almost 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. Increasing demand for meat means that livestock emissions will continue to increase, which will undoubtedly hinder the global emission reduction goals.

The report said that before the Paris climate change conference, most countries had put forward corresponding emission reduction targets and measures, but this was not enough to achieve the goal of controlling temperature rise. Reducing meat consumption is obviously a feasible strategy, "if the world chooses a healthy diet, it will be able to achieve the required emission reduction 1/4 by 2050".

The researchers said that many governments are worried that intervening in meat consumption will cause a great public response, and the researchers' previous surveys in 12 countries showed that once consumers understand the impact of animal husbandry on the environment, they can still accept the government in this regard. Measures taken in this regard.

To this end, the report recommends: strengthen publicity to raise public awareness of the health and climate change impacts of meat consumption; the government should adjust procurement, regulations, and pricing to reduce the proportion of meat in the public diet; Strengthen research and development, find meat substitutes, etc.

Laura Wellesley, one of the authors of the report, said that reducing meat consumption is not only good for health, but also a cost-effective way for governments to reduce emissions. (Reporter Zhang Jiawei) 2015-11-25 Source: Xinhua