Here’s How We Solve Anthropogenic Climate Change – New Study

How can we realistically shift away from animal agriculture, incorporate more plant-based foods in our diet, and ensure policies and funding go towards helping the environment and mitigating climate change? Two researchers put forth their ideas in a new study.

Over the years, especially in the last few, a ton of research has shown us time and again the huge impact our diets and eating patterns have on the planet. Our food system accounts for a third of all global emissions, while meat itself amounts to nearly 60% of all emissions from food.

Meanwhile, livestock farming has been found to produce between 11-19.5% of the planet’s overall emissions, and further research has shown that animal-derived foods like meat and dairy cause twice as many emissions as plant-based foods.

Studies have also shown that vegan diets can reduce emissions, water pollution and land use by 75% compared to meat-rich diets and that replacing half of our meat and dairy consumption with plant-based alternatives could cut agricultural and land use emissions by 31%, reduce the land used for livestock by 12%, slash water use by 10%, and halt deforestation.

But if we continue in a business-as-usual scenario, demand for meat will rise globally, with people set to be eating 14% more meat by 2030. A new study published in the peer-reviewed Heliyon journal argues that we can’t afford to continue on this path, as we only have seven to eight years to enact meaningful change to mitigate the climate crisis.

1. Phaseout of industrialised agriculture

Despite animal agriculture’s climate impact, the authors say the reduction and phaseout of animal agriculture is often entirely overlooked in many climate change solutions. But doing so would provide 52% of the necessary net emissions reduction to limit global warming to 2°C by 2100, with 47% of the benefits of a phaseout of livestock farming accounting for by beef alone, while cow’s milk makes up 24%.

Importantly, a full phaseout of animals from the food industry would substantially cut emissions to a point that even a complete replacement of fossil fuels with clean energy couldn’t achieve. In fact, eliminating industrial animal agriculture could buy us time to develop tech that could affect a fossil fuel phaseout too.

To do so, the researchers say there needs to be a clear distinction between factory farming and other forms of animal agriculture – concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have a loose definition. In the US alone, most animals are factory-farmed, including over 98% of chickens, pigs, turkeys, hens and fish, and 70% of cows. “Our proposal for the global phaseout of industrialised animal agriculture encompasses factory farming of all land and water animals,” reads the study.

2. Transition to plant-based and cultivated proteins

Simultaneously, a shift to plant-based and cultivated alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs is vital. “To achieve this, further developments and investment are required in technologies which allow for the creation of cheaper, more widely available, and tasty meat, dairy and egg alternatives,” the authors say.

They add that additional funding is needed towards plan-based agriculture, which would feed more people and use fewer resources while preserving ecosystems too, as the land freed from animal farming could be used to grow new crops. Investment is also needed to aid a smooth transition for farmers in this space.

3. Ending animal subsidies and introducing meat taxes

In the EU and the US, livestock farming greenqueen.com.hk

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