Reducing meat and dairy consumption is one of the easiest personal choices people can make to reduce climate impact, specifically cow products and sheep products. But alone it will not solve our climate problem as agriculture only makes up around less than 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The largest proportion of emissions, by far, is our energy use, which is why we need to electrify and decarbonise how we use energy.
There are a number of problems with meat. One is the amount of land required to grow the feed. Another is that ruminants (cows, sheep) belch methane, which is far worse as a greenhouse gas than CO2. Eating less meat remains one of the easiest consumer decisions to reduce climate impact, but alone it cannot solve our climate problem. On an infrastructure scale, better land management and new low-carbon farming alternatives will lower the impact of eating meat occasionally. Meat-eating doesn't have to all go away, but it does need to become more conscious. Meat and dairy alternatives are growing wildly in popularity and quality, which will help to further reduce the impact of meat consumption on the climate.
Rewiring Australia is a non-profit, independent, non-partisan organisation dedicated to representing the people, households and communities in the energy system. We empirically demonstrate and communicate the cost savings, emissions reductions, and energy system benefits of electrification.
Rewiring Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, meet and work and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
