Save Cows To Save Millions Of Lives: WEF Report Advises Dropping Beef From Diet To Mitigate Global Warming

According to the latest report released by World Economic Forum (WEF), reduced beef consumption can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially and save millions of lives.

By incorporating meat alternatives into diets, diet-related mortality could be reduced by five per cent, said the report released by WEF, in collaboration with researchers from Oxford Martin School in the UK.

“Pork and chicken are excellent alternative sources of protein that produce significantly less GHG (Green House Gas) emissions, but using them as a beef replacement would only reduce mortality by between 0.5-1 per cent. Nuts, insects and tofu fall in the mid-range, reducing mortality by between 1-2.5 percent. The best alternatives for health are beans, peas and mycoprotein (fungi-derived nutrients), reducing deaths by 5-7 per cent.”

The report also noted that though lab-grown beef presents a potentially healthier, more ethical and more sustainable alternative to its natural counterpart, its health benefits are still minimal and has a large carbon footprint.

CO2 Emissions

While the emissions intensity of beef is around 23.9 kgCO2 per 200 Calories, it is less than 10 kgCO2 for chicken and tofu. For wheats and nuts, It is less or equal to 1 KgCO2.

Globally, livestock production contributes nearly fifteen per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, livestock farms present a greater danger to climate change than the transportation sector.

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