Life’s a gas

| 2 June 2007
minute reading time

Going veggie can help slow global warming. A new report in the Lancet shows how you can reduce greenhouse gases by cutting down the amount of meat you eat. The report says reducing meat consumption would cut the gases emitted by cows, sheep and goats that contribute to global warming. It would also improve health in general, reducing the numbers of people with heart disease and cancer. Livestock production accounts for over one fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions. This is similar to that of industry and greater than that of all the worlds’ transport! Of course, going vegan is the most effective way to go green.

McMichael AJ, Powles JW, Butler CD, Uauy R. 2007. Food, livestock production, energy, climate change, and health. Lancet. 370 (9594) 1253-1263.

About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
I joined Viva! as a health campaigner in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. My scientific training helped me research and write numerous reports, guides and fact sheets for Viva! including Meat the Truth, Fish-Free for Life, One in Nine (breast cancer and diet) and the substantial report on the detrimental health effects of consuming dairy; White Lies. This accompanied Viva!’s report The Dark Side of Dairy which spelt out the inherent cruelty of dairy farming. We were the first UK group to take on the dairy industry in this way, and many of our supporters go vegan after reading these reports.

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