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Compare the Carbon Footprint of a Vegan Burger to a Beef Burger

Compare the Carbon Footprint of a Vegan Burger to a Beef Burger

Carbon Footprint of Food:
Stopping Climate Change with Diet Change?
Overview and Summary

Introduction
This summary presents an overview of WPF’s latest report evaluating the Carbon Footprint of plant- versus animal-based protein sources of nutrition. The findings are compelling as they demonstrate the exceptional and significant GHG reductions a worldwide shift from plant- to animal-based proteins would entail. The full report (with references) and corresponding presentation will be available for download on the World Preservation Foundation website in March 2011. Summary here follows:

The quest for sustainable consumption
One of the most effective ways to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions – along with the recent series of weather-related disasters spurred by climate change – is to adopt sustainable lifestyles via heightened consumer awareness. Policies aimed at sustainable living and consumption patterns are increasingly focusing on this challenge, with the insights gained through the carbon footprint of various food products in particular gaining greater awareness and emphasis of address.

The efficacy of the Carbon Footprint (CF) metric
Carbon Footprint (CF), which quantifies the global warming impacts of products from a life cycle perspective, has gained prominence as a holistic approach, where environmental or ecological protection promotes the idea of carbon emission accounting from the very beginning of a product’s life, rather than a simplistic (and narrow) perspective of the control of emission towards the end. CF methodology has developed from (and involves) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), an ISO-standardized environmental accounting tool applied in research and industry for systematically monitoring the inventory of materials, resources and energy inputs and emission outputs to air, water and land associated with each stage of a given product life cycle.

Methodology of evaluating plant-based and livestock production systems’ CF

For the five plant-based agricultural systems (potatoes, corn, tomatoes, rice, soybean and peas –of which meat analogs are also composed), the total CF is calculated according to:

  1. Fertilizer input is allocated to the final output of 1 kg crop/cereal/vegetable product
  2. Emissions of N2O due to fertilizers usage at farms, based on (1)
  3. Energy requirements and associated emissions for farming operations are allocated to the final output of 1 kg crop/cereal/vegetable product
  4. Farming operations in (3) include cultivation, harvesting, milling, cooling and packaging. It assumed that no freezing is necessary
  5. Nitrogen-based fertilizer inputs, which make up 70% of fertilizer usage in agriculture.

For the beef, pork and chicken production systems, the total CF is calculated according to:

  1. Feed input is allocated according to the final output of 1 kg meat product
  2. Energy requirements for the total feed required for each animal is adjusted to (1)
  3. Energy requirements and associated emissions for farming operations are allocated according to the final output of 1 kg meat product
  4. GHG from livestock are based on 1 kg (bone-free and ready to cook) meat output
  5. Energy requirements for all slaughterhouse and meat processing activities, and their associated GHGs, are allocated according to the final output of 1 kg meat


Sample Results & Summary

Total Carbon Footprint of various food types according to GWP100

Example of GHG savings (prevented) due to global switch from meat to plant-based meat analogs

Overall, the CF for all meals derived from meat analogs or plants are less carbon intensive, compared to meat-based meals. Goodland and Anhang (2009) projected that meat and dairy analogs will not only help to slow climate change but will also ease the global food crisis. This is because meat analogs (comprising various crop-proteins; the full details of the analog constituents are presented in the full report) require a much smaller quantity of resources to produce any given number of calories. The bar chart shows that GHG emissions from meat analogs options are comparatively minimal, with the graphic illustrating how a simple switch from a selected meat-based meal to meat analog meal saves a total of over 26 billion tons of CO2-eq. Such GHG savings actually come from diverting tremendous amounts of resource, land, and energy use away from livestock within the meat food production chain, together with subsequent nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions prevention.

REF: www.WorldPreservationFoundation.org

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Facts & Figures

Compare the Carbon Footprint of a Vegan Burger to a Beef Burger

Did you know that if everyone in the world made a simple switch from a selected meat-based meal to meat analog meal saves a total of over 26 billion tons of CO2-eq
Find the relevant report in the NEWS section below

Based on German research, its been calculated

Based on German research, its been calculated that “A vegan driving an SUV is more ecofriendly than a meat-eater riding a bicycle.” The contribution to global warming is just part of the problem with livestock. The same Dutch study found that livestock occupy 80% of total human land in use. A colossal amount of water is spent maintaining pasture for grazing, which could be far more efficiently used to grow food crops. And according to the FAO report, livestock emissions produce 64% of all human-induced ammonia into the atmosphere, one of the main causes of acid rain, which damages crops, and is almost always blamed on industry and transport.

Having meat free days

Having meat free days or going vegetarian has many health benefits:

REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (eg. meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (eg. vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%.

FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that a higher consumption of red and processed meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.

LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.

IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fibre, protein, zinc, iron and magnesium and lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

By going vegetarian or having meat free days

By going vegetarian or having meat free days you will help:

  • Avoid excessive CO2 production,
  • Reduce methane/nitrous oxide production,
  • Save large amounts of water,
  • Avoid polluting our streams/rivers/oceans,
  • Reduce destruction of topsoil & tropical rainforest,
  • Reduce the destruction of wildlife habitats & endangered species,
  • Reduce the use of antibiotics, growth promoters and chemicals
Most of us eat more meat

Most of us eat more meat and other protein rich foods than we need to stay healthy.

In 2007 the World Cancer Research Fund report recommended limiting the consumption of red meats such as beef, pork ad lamb because of a ‘convincing’ link with colorectal cancer. Links have also been found between high meat diets and obesity and heart disease.

Remember also that climate change is a threat to our future health. As the world warms up it is likely that levels of air pollution, and thus allergies and respiratory diseases, will rise, as will the rate of infectious diseases