by wildcherry on Monday, December 7th, 2009 | Life, Tips

In North America, we love our meat—whether it’s a lazy summer barbecue or a regular meat and potatoes meal. But if you’re looking for a high-impact green living idea, you should consider eating less meat since it can have a greater impact on your carbon footprint (for the good!) than switching from a gas-guzzler to a hybrid car.

Of all of the green living changes you could make to your life, eating less meat (and dairy) may have the biggest bang for your buck—it’s more effective than buying food locally, eating organic, or driving a hybrid car. But why is this? Let me explain:

Deforestation: Raising animals for meat results in the levelling of huge swaths of forests around the world. It is estimated that 55 acres of rainforest is required to produce one meal composed of meat protein (John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution). Trees are a major carbon sink (not to mention their many other environmental benefits), so cutting them down reduces the planet’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: Eighty percent of all grain products grown in the US are used to feed livestock. Conventional farming methods involve large doses of petroleum-based chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) as well as the operation of heavy machinery which burns a proportionately large amount of fuel, emitting a lot of carbon dioxide.

Enteric fermentation: As ruminating animals (cows, sheep, goats, and buffalo) naturally digest their food, they produce a potent greenhouse gas: methane, which is more than 20 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, eating meat is responsible for 37% of methane, 9% of all carbon dioxide, and 65% of nitrous oxide—all of which are greenhouse gases.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that people should start by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.

The 68-year-old Indian economist, who is a vegetarian, said diet change was important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.

“Give up meat for one day (per week) initially, and decrease it from there,” he said.

“In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity.”

Other small-scale lifestyle changes would also help to combat climate change, he said without elaborating.

“That’s what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.”

Tags: carbon footprint, eating meat, global warming, Green Living, hybrid car