Meat trade emissions equal to half of all Britain's cars

Une voiture au milieu de vaches durant le salon de l'auto à Détroit USA © AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA


08/02/2012 10:42 am

Meat and cheese top the list of foodstuffs that have a negative impact on the environment, according to research

 

If everyone in the UK went vegetarian or vegan it would have the same environmental benefit as talking half of all cars off the road, according to new research. Scientists have calculated the impact of 61 foods, with fresh meat and cheese topping the carbon footprint league.

They estimate that the combined greenhouse gas emissions from the foods we eat in the UK are the equivalent of 167 million tons of carbon dioxide, and switching to vegetarian diets could cut this by between 22 and 26 per cent.

The Independent

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