Vegetarianism - A Low Carbon Lifestyle?

Although this is a concept that I've been aware of for a little while, the book review that I undertook earlier in the course really drove this home. The book emphasised the chain of consequences triggered by eating meat - e.g. 1kg of beef requires 7kg of grain, which in turn needs 7000litres of water.

Cutting out just 1 beef meal per week would save around 40,000 gallons of water per year. Moreover, if each American ate one less meat dish per week, enough grain would be saved to make up the diets of 150 malnourished people. This of course ignores obvious market trade issues, but the principle still exists. Such issues are set to become increasingly important with the prospect of global water shortages as a result of climate change.

Food is a complicated subject as it is embedded within culture and habitual lifestyles. People view that it is their human right to consume and eat as they please. This is a view that I would have agreed with once upon a time. Indeed I suppose I still do, but with the footnote that it is one's human duty to consume sustainably. This is where the debate becomes too woolly/wordy, and people lose interest, thinking it's too much hassle and that they're pleased with their current routine.

In terms of carbon emissions, the level is somewhat dependent upon context. Different companies store/transport foods differently. It would therefore seem that sweeping generalisations (e.g. save carbon by being a veggy) can not be made. For instance, a 2005 DEFRA study showed that less CO2 was emitted by importing tomatoes from Spain, as opposed to growing them in your own heated greenhouse. Of course, other factors need to be considered such as the impact of the local environment, e.g. surface and groundwater pollution through intensity use of pesticides.

Largely because my girlfriend is a veggy, I only have 2-3 meat-based meals each week largely due to practical reasons. But through an increased awareness in this issue, it has certainly made me think twice as I enjoy a juicy steak. Therefore is information provision the answer? Probably not, it is likely that I've only changed as I'm already sensitive to environmental issues. This is arguably shown by the lack of success attributed to the carbon labeling of food products to date.

Perhaps solutions can be found through education, economic incentives and social marketing? Since it is such a thorny and multi-disciplinary issue, a variety of tacts will be required to encourage all those consumers to meet that sustainable end goal (even those "honestly disengaged").