Fighting Global Warming with Food - Environmental Defense Fund

There are lots of ways Americans can help fight climate change and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Buying a car or truck with better gas mileage. Using compact fluorescent bulbs. For those who choose it, even eating just a little less meat can help. View article at http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=6604.

More scientific research is being done every day on the relationship between food consumption and GHG emissions. Conclusions of this U. Chicago study mirror my own analysis in The Climate Diet, which states that even minor changes in diet can have a big environmental impact. The main culprit here is meat, and especially beef. In my book, I compare two meals cooked for a family of four, one with a steak main dish and the other with a fish fillet. Choosing fish over steak reduces the GHG impact of the meal from 99.9 lb (45.5 kg) to 15.2 lb (6.9 kg). These figures only include emissions from food production, processing and distribution, not preparation. Avoid cooking and you can reduce your climate impact even more!