Cut out red meat By Gavin Pierce

Red meat and dairy accounts for 14.5% of global emissions

Cows and Sheep's digestive process involves a chemical process that allows them to digest grass causing them to belch out methane which is 28-34x worse than Co2 over a 100-year span

Red meat production is the largest cause of deforestation

Raising cows is responsible for 24% of yearly tropical deforestation. Brazil holds 12% of the world's forest and 72% of Brazil's deforestation is due to cattle farming.

efficiency in meat

The standard for energy lost in the food chain is for every stage, 10% is typically lost, meaning it is inefficient and unethical to eat animals at the top. Cows lose 90% of the energy they digest, making farming extremely energy-inefficient due to the food they eat. So to ethically eat food it is better to find new alternatives.

So what food is energy efficient to eat?

The best and most efficient food to eat would be those at the bottom of the food chain, which are not only energy efficient but lack chemical build-ups like mercury from reaching you. These foods can include shrimp, small fish, chicken, or even bugs.

References

https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/index.html

https://ourworldindata.org/drivers-of-deforestation#:~:text=The%20expansion%20of%20pasture%20land,24%25)%20of%20tropical%20deforestation.

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/01/mapping-worlds-forests-green-globe-climate-change/#:~:text=Brazil%20has%20the%20second%2Dlargest,planet%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94the%20Amazon%20rainforest.

https://qz.com/1343690/why-cattle-are-the-key-to-unlocking-the-energy-of-human-inedible-plants

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-10-energy-rule-in-a-food-chain.html#:~:text=What%20is%20the%2010%25%20rule,used%20for%20growth%20and%20reproduction.

Credits:

Created with images by nickalbi - "Herd of young cows" • Emil - "Cows" • Richard Carey - "Logging. Aerial drone view of deforestation environmental problem." • pierluigipalazzi - "cow" • May - "A single live shrimp suspended in water" • nickalbi - "Herd of young cows"