Food and agriculture play a big role in climate change, producing up to 30 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, according to a 2016 study by researchers in the U.K.
Red meat accounts for approximately 47 percent of the emissions from American diets, and all animal-based products, including meat, dairy, fish and eggs, account for 82 percent of dietary emissions, according to a 2020 study from the University of Michigan.
A vegetarian diet would reduce individual diet-related emissions by at least a third, according to a 2019 Johns Hopkins report, but you don't have to fully cut out meat to reduce your footprint.
The report states that the "Meatless Monday" movement to not eat meat one day a week reduces individual emissions by about 4.8 percent.
That might not seem like an astounding reduction, but the report states that even if only about two of every five Americans participated each week, that'd be like taking more than 1.6 million cars off the road each year.
Plus, studies have shown that small changes are more likely to last than significant lifestyle changes, so Meatless Mondays are likely a more sustainable option than going plant-based cold turkey.
"Our university has Meatless Mondays and ... one thing it does is it raises awareness," says Gregory Keoleian, a researcher who was part of the University of Michigan study. "I think it's a matter of trying to limit and explore some of these alternatives." ♦
