As negotiations get underway at COP28, we compiled a list of the leading research documenting the connection between meat and greenhouse gas emissions.
We recommend four widely applicable high-impact (i.e. low emissions) actions with the potential to contribute to systemic change and substantially reduce annual personal emissions: having one fewer child (an average for developed countries of 58.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) emission reductions per year), living car-free (2.4 tCO2e saved per year), avoiding airplane travel (1.6 tCO2e saved per roundtrip transatlantic flight) and eating a plant-based diet (0.8 tCO2e saved per year). These actions have much greater potential to reduce emissions than commonly promoted strategies like comprehensive recycling (four times less effective than a plant-based diet) or changing household lightbulbs (eight times less).
Look at how much impact that first thing has, y’all. If you convince one person not to have another child that has the same impact as convincing sixty people to go plant based.
Fighting for reproductive rights is one of the most impactful things you can do for the climate.
Or convince 2-3 people to give up meat. If they each convince 2-3 people who each convince 2-3 people who… ok, I’ll stop…. But the point stands. They don’t even need to stop, just reduce their meat consumption.
Look at how much impact that first thing has, y’all. If you convince one person not to have another child that has the same impact as convincing sixty people to go plant based.
Fighting for reproductive rights is one of the most impactful things you can do for the climate.
Save the Earth, have an abortion.
Very true but these are separate things and both can be done.
Or convince 2-3 people to give up meat. If they each convince 2-3 people who each convince 2-3 people who… ok, I’ll stop…. But the point stands. They don’t even need to stop, just reduce their meat consumption.