6
◼ AGENDA
● Vegetarianismisn’tforeveryone.Butsmallchanges
in dietcanmeanbiggainsfortheclimate◼BLOOMBERGOPINIONWrittenbytheBloombergOpinioneditorialboard ILLUSTRATIONBYBENEDIKTRUGARGlobal meat consumption has more than doubled since the
1960s, and production is set to double again by 2050. In one
way, that’s a good thing—proof that rising incomes are sup-
porting higher living standards in developing countries. But
Americans still eat three times as much meat as the global
average. For solid self-interested reasons, they and other rich-
world diners ought to curb their appetite.
Consider this: Livestock are responsible for 12% of man-
made greenhouse gas emissions, more than the aviation
industry. Most comes from just one animal: the humble, gassy
cow. On a per-calorie basis, cattle are responsible for vastly
more emissions than chickens and pigs, in part because their
digestive systems produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
From a climate change perspective, serving roast beef is as
bad as driving about 100 miles in the average car.
Cattle also take up a lot of space. In Brazil, swaths of the
Amazon have been cleared to make room for ranches using
slash-and-burn techniques, releasing huge amounts of trapped
carbon. But Brazil is hardly the only culprit: More than a quar-
ter of the Earth’s ice-free land is set aside for grazing.
The world’s system of beef production is on course to
destroy itself. A warming planet is already threatening theMeatless—a Day a Week
food supply. After decades of steady decline, hunger has
inched up over the past five years—not coincidentally, the hot-
test five years on record. If global temperature rises by 2C,
scientists predict wheat output will fall 10%, and heat waves
will damage other crops that feed humans and animals. Heat
stress will reduce meat and milk yields and could kill off thou-
sands of cattle.
Curbing meat consumption voluntarily seems a better bet
than letting the industry self-destruct. Most climate scientists
agree that eating less meat would help to avert a worst-case
scenario. But how much less? If all the world swore off meat,
it would cut global emissions by 8 gigatons a year—roughly the
same as shutting down 2,000 coal-fired power plants. But if
you’re not ready to go vegan, just eating less meat would help.
Adopting the Mediterranean diet, which includes poultry but
limits red meat, would have about the same impact as driving
70 fewer miles each week.
Or you could join the “Meatless Mondays” movement.
Despite some backlash from American agribusiness and
politicians, hundreds of U.S. schools, businesses, and hos-
pitals—plus thousands of families—have committed to going
vegetarian one day a week. Not everyone can or should go
meatless, of course. And voluntary action alone won’t suffice.
Lawmakers need to take the initiative by reining in meat sub-
sidies and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices.
Meantime, if you’re fortunate enough to live in a wealthy
country with abundant protein, try taking a meat hiatus. Your
children—and their children—will thank you. <BW>Germanymarkstheanniversaryofitsreunificationon
Oct.3, withBerlinhostingthemainfestivitiesonthe
BrandenburgGatesquare.Almostthreedecadesafterthe
wallfell,thecountryis stillstrugglingtoovercomeeconomic
andpoliticaldivisionsbetweentheEastandWest.▶OnOct.1, GeneralMotors
andFordaresettoreport
quarterlyU.S.vehiclesales.
FiatChryslerandother
automakersareposting
monthlyfigures.▶AngloAmericanCEO
MarkCutifanispeaks
attheJoburgIndaba
miningconferencein
Johannesburgtakingplace
onOct.2-3.▶Snackandbeverage
giantPepsiCoreports
earningsonOct.3. Soda
consumptionis falling
asconsumersturnto
healthierdrinks.▶TheU.S.releaseslabor
marketdataforSeptember
onOct.4. Economists are
watchingforsignsthat the
world’slargesteconomy
isslowing.▶India’scentralbank
announcesitsratedecision
onOct.4. Thebankhas
alreadycutborrowing costs
fourtimesthisyearto give
theeconomya lift.▶Stuttgarthoststhe 49th
ArtisticGymnasticsWorld
Championships,with hotly
anticipatedappearances
byU.S.starSimoneBiles,
beginningOct.4.▶ Reunified, But Keeping a Distance
Bloomberg Businessweek September30, 2019