Food and Farming
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
This one is pretty straight forward:
“Shifting our diet to one heavier in plants, rather than meat and dairy products, offers a meaningful opportunity for both mitigating and adapting to climate change”
Heidi Roop
The IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land shows the significant benefit of a dietary shift away from meat in general and beef and dairy in particular. The emissions associated with a wholesale move to a plant-based diet is has the same emissions impact of taking 2,141 coal plants offline. In the graphic from Our World in Data the impact is stark: a globally adopted plant-based diet “would reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture by 75%”.
How can we as individuals get started? As is the theme of this series, by committing, taking a single action, building on it, and advocating for it with others. Heidi suggests implementing one meatless meal a week. Or cut your consumption by a percentage, say reducing dairy and meat from your grocery list by 25%. Having smaller portions overall with more vegetables, fruit, grains, and legumes will also have a positive impact on your health!
A widespread implementation of a plant-based diet would have a major impact on how we adapt to on-going climate change as well. Shifting how we better use land that is currently used for grazing cattle will result in better soil health, and reduced run-off and fertilizer use, which are all major benefits in addition to the reduction in emissions. With this dietary change the US could “free up nearly 500 million acres of land for other used by 2050”. Land that could be better employed to reduce the impact of climate change on humans and society.
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 29: Cut Down on Your Food Waste
Howard Creel
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Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com