Why beef is the worst food for the climate
Let’s Begin…
Our consumption habits emit billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Our diets account for one-fourth of those emissions.This is in part because of the land it takes to grow our food, but it also has something to do with biology. This video explains why the production of some foods emit more emissions than others, and which foods to avoid to be a more climate conscious consumer.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
Vegan or plant-based meat has grown in popularity and quality in the last decade. Learn more about how Impossible Meat is made here and watch the hosts do a blind taste test of real and fake meat.
Another alternative to traditionally raised meat products is cultivated or lab-grown meats. Upside Foods opened the largest synthetic meat factory in the world. It's designed to grow thousands of pounds of chicken, beef, and pork. Backed by Bill Gates and Richard Branson, Upside bets consumers to go for vat-grown meat. Cultured meats have the potential to eliminate animal cruelty and reduced the environmental impacts of the meat industry. Lab-grown meat research has progressed quickly in recent years and is being offered in more restaurants and will eventually be available at grocery stores.
Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet. The campaign was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, the Founder of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Some Individual Inspiration
Dr. Milton Mills is a Black physician and leading expert on plant-based diets who speaks on the impact of animal agriculture on health and the environment. He is the founder of Plant-Based Nation.
Jane Goodall is an English primatologist and conservationist who has been promoting vegetarian and plant-based diets for many years to reduce the impact of meat consumption on the environment. She also has a vegan cookbook called #eatmeatless.
Chef Ietef Vita is a vegan chef and hip-hop artist who promotes plant-based diets as a way to combat food inequality and climate change.
Sir Richard Branson is a British entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group who has invested in plant-based meat alternatives and has been advocating for reducing meat consumption to address climate change.
Brenda Sanders is a Black vegan activist and founder of the Afro-Vegan Society, which works to promote veganism in Black communities.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who has called for reducing meat consumption as a way to address climate change.
Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.
About Earth School
We can save the world. Speed and Scale shows us how to unlock a cleaner, healthier and safer future by laying out a roadmap that will get us to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. How’s it going to work? We need to electrify transportation, decarbonize the grid, fix food, protect nature, clean up industry and remove carbon. To learn how we’re going to do all that - and to learn how you can take action now - explore this page.
Meet The Creators
- Video created by Vox
- Lesson Plan created by TED Ed
