Going vegetarian not as good for for the climate as campaigners claim, UN paper finds
BRITS can enjoy their Christmas turkey in peace — after a report said going veggie may not be as good for the climate as campaigners claim.
A United Nations paper for the COP28 summit found that cutting out meat could have only a “marginal” benefit for many countries.
It said some studies “over- simplify” the green credentials of a plant-based diet — and that more efficient farming, better animal feed and improving livestock health would deliver a bigger boost for the environment.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report estimated eating low or no-meat diets could cut global greenhouse gas emissions from farming by just four per cent.
But better farm productivity could slash emissions by 20 per cent.
It said the reduction of emissions from a diet change depends on how the animal protein is substituted.
It adds: “For instance, replacing meat with calorically equivalent greenhouse vegetables or out-of-season fruits flown from afar could potentially reverse many emissions offsets.”
Campaigners such as Greenpeace, Peta and the Vegan Society all want diners to cut down on steaks and burgers to help protect the environment.
The UN itself has encouraged eating less meat in the past.
Lucas Daglish, sustainability manager of the British Meat Processors Association, said the data is “encouraging for people who don’t want to take extreme measures and give up the health benefits and enjoyment of eating meat”.