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Climate change and meat: what's the beef?

What difference would it make to climate change if we reduce meat consumption?

Would cutting back on meat consumption help tackle climate change?

What impact would this have on individuals, governments and businesses? Livestock farming accounts for at least 14.5% of all human emissions - with beef making up the highest proportion of this.

Meat free burgers are now available at fast food restaurants across the western world; veganism is on the rise, as is flexitarianism - a largely vegetable-based diet supplemented occasionally with meat. But how far can these eating trends help to reduce carbon emissions?

David Aaronovitch is joined by:

Dr Hannah Richie - Head of Research at Our world in data, University of Oxford
Tim Searchinger - Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute and Princeton University
Professor Louise Fresco - President of the Wageningen University
Laura Wellesley - Research fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House
Toby Park - Head of Energy and Sustainability, Behavioural Insights Team

Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Jasper Corbett

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Thu 10 Oct 2019 20:00

Broadcast

  • Thu 10 Oct 2019 20:00

Podcast