Reducing red meat consumption: a coherent solution
Denmark, always a pioneer in the environmental field, like the development of renewable energies and energy autonomy of some of its islands as Samso.
According to the Danish Ethics Council, “the Danish way of life is far from being harmless to the environment, and if we want to meet the objective of the agreement [of Cop21], it is necessary that we act quickly and the food is concerned.
“The council said that Danes have an ethical obligation to minimize their climate impact and that a natural place to start would be lowering their red meat consumption.
The meat of cattle is the most destructive food for the planet
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, more than the the total exhaust from all forms of transport worldwide.
Cattle alone is responsible for ten percent of all emissions and conservative estimates state that at least 43,000 litres of fresh water are needed to produce just one kilo of beef.
The Council on Ethics said that in order to live up to global environmental standards, Denmark should use a ‘climate tax’ to bring down the nation’s meat consumption. The Council said it debated the issue for six months, focusing on whether it should be left up to consumers to make more climate-friendly choices or if government should push them in the right direction by taxing the food products that have the greatest negative impact.
