9. Increasing plant-based diets

Why?

This is a very tricky issue for us in Addingham as almost all our local farmers are livestock farmers. However, globally and as a nation we need to move away from a diet rich in beef, lamb and dairy products. Cattle and sheep are ruminants and have a special digestion system that releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and 30% of the methane released by human activity can be attributed to livestock. Other types of meat have lesser carbon footprints but plants and plant-based substitutes for meat along with non-dairy milk have the least impact on greenhouse gas emissions. A further reason for a plant-based diet is that much less land is needed for food production. For example, cow’s milk uses ten times more land to produce than plant-based alternatives. This is an important consideration as it allows land to be freed for other purposes, especially nature recovery.

How?

• Check out this website: Change your diet to reduce your carbon footprint https://www.carbonbrief.org/experts-how-do-diets-need-to-change-to-meet-climate-targets
• Reduce the quantity of beef, lamb and dairy products in your diet
• Try out non-dairy milk alternatives such as oat milk. See: https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks
• Choose vegan dishes in local pubs and restaurants to encourage their continued inclusion on menus
• Whatever your diet as far as possible buy local sustainably grown food in season to minimise carbon emissions from transport and storage