Buckley, C. (2023, July 21). Save the Planet, Put Down that Hamburger. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/21/climate/diet-vegan-meat-emissions.html
A study done by the University of Oxford reveals that following a plant-based diet slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent when compared to someone who consumes more than 3.5 ounces of meat a day. This research contrasts with earlier modeling-based studies. Drawing from real diets of 55,500 individuals and data from 38,000 farms worldwide, the study looks at the environmental benefits of plant-based diets, focusing on their massive potential to reduce carbon emissions and minimize the impact caused by the meat industry.
This article is related to environmental science as it focuses on how major of a difference a plant-based diet can have on greenhouse gas emissions. This information is extremely important to modern knowledge on how effective a plant-based diet really is. Following this study, people could have a massive impact on the health of the environment. This article was interesting to me. While I always figured living off a plant-based diet would be beneficial to the environment I didn’t realize just how beneficial it really was. A 75% cut in emissions makes me seriously consider trying to drop a lot of meat from my diet.
This is so funny to think about how our consumption of meat is affecting our atmosphere. Do you think that we should ban everyone from eating meat or put a limit? What other solutions do you think would be effective?
I knew not eating meat helped the environment but it surprised me just how much eating a plant-based diet really makes a difference. This is important information that should be shared with everyone so that they are more cautious about what they eat each day. What do you think would be the best way to encourage people to switch their diet?
I understand that data and it is well backed up. However, I really don’t think this is something we can push for as a society. We have been eating meat since the start of human’s so it seems to me like a big stretch to push this in an environmental or political agenda. We already have a ton of pushback and resistance to simply idea’s like limiting greenhouse gasses so how could we recommend these changes in a realistic way? Great and thorough write-up.
This was a very interesting article for me. I had no idea what kind of impact a plant-based diet could have on the environment. Plant-based diets should be promoted more evn by meat companies. Good, alternative options that people might be able to transition to, so that more people can have an impact on the planet. How can more companies advertise plant-based diets?
Thank you all for reading. To answer questions I would say the only real way people might switch their diets is through enough advertising. As one of you said it is pretty unrealistic to think people will completely change so the best thing people can really do is educate others and hope for the best.