255 grams per week. That’s the short answer to how much meat you can eat without harming the planet. And that only applies to poultry and pork.
Beef cannot be eaten in meaningful quantities without exceeding planetary boundaries, according to an article published by a group of DTU researchers in the journal Nature Food. So says Caroline H. Gebara, postdoc at DTU Sustain and lead author of the study."
Our calculations show that even moderate amounts of red meat in one’s diet are incompatible with what the planet can regenerate of resources based on the environmental factors we looked at in the study. However, there are many other diets—including ones with meat—that are both healthy and sustainable," she says.
WRI published an interesting article on this subject a week or so ago:
https://www.wri.org/insights/climate-impact-behavior-shifts
I like the bikelane analogy, actually.
It shows clearly that (a) yes you do need activism (like Critical Mass) and a few crazy ones that will bike regardless of the adverse conditions, (b) political will to shift towards bikelanes, (c ) wider adoption but also sustained activism to build better bikelanes (not painted gutters on the side of stroads, but protected lanes, connected with transit).
We definitely do not lack (a), but (c ) FOLLOWS (b). If you want to go from “just the crazies” to “everyone and their 5 year old”, systemic change needs to be backed by very concrete top-down action.
Without very meaningful (b), telling people to change their eating habits while stuff is otherwise the same is like telling people to take their kids to school on bikes next to crazy SUV traffic: it’s not happening.
Except it is happening. And its not fucking dangerous to cook a pot of beans instead of dead birds lol
Good. But until it becomes as cheap and easy for a family of 4 to eat vegan as cheaply, completely and easily as it is to not, let’s not make finger wagging the political strategy for change. Nobody wants that.
Fortunately it’s always been cheaper to eat vegan. Typically 30% cheaper, on average.
Sure, but you’re not factoring in the cost of time spent learning how and the time spent preparing. I can afford that time, not everyone can. Again: the issue is systemic, not about personal smarts or purity. Ask the simple question: what is the cultural default and what do you have to go out of your way to get. What is easy for regular people? For example: in India, even the language used is indicative: veg vs non-veg. Veg is well supported with cultural practices, abundant and easily and conveniently accessible yummy veg food. In North America, it’s literally the opposite.
That’s why I like the cycling analogy. The Dutch are not better people, they just have infrastructure that encourages cycling. The easy, the default.
Do you really think that beans, broccoli, lentils and all the vegetables, fruits, legumes… are more expensive than meat? Don’t forget that meat also has subsidies to lower the final price, so you are also paying in taxes this “cheap” meat.