New diet could help the world
An updated set of dietary guidelines released by the Chinese government last month could be a boon not only for public health, say some environmentalists, but also for the environment.
They’re arguing that the new recommendations have the potential to reduce China’s meat consumption, or at least slow its growth, which can help save land and water resources and put a substantial dent in global greenhouse gas emissions.
The actual differences between the new guidelines and the previous ones, which were released in 2007, are slim. Both recommend an upper limit on meat and poultry consumption of 75 grams per day — but the new guidelines reduce the lower daily value from 50 grams to 40 grams.
Altogether, the guidelines suggest limiting meat, poultry, fish and dairy consumption to 200 grams daily.
The real problem is that average meat consumption in China is still higher than either the old or the new guidelines recommend. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), daily meat and dairy consumption in China still averages more than 300 grams per day — and that value is expected to keep increasing over the next few decades.
If such reductions were to actually occur, it could be a major win for the envi- ronment. Agriculture is one of the primary contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly in the form of methane and nitrous oxide. When forestry and other land use changes are factored in, the agriculture sector may account for as much as a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, a recent study suggested farm emissions need to fall by a billion tonnes per year by 2030 if we’re to meet our global goals under the Paris Agreement.
Many studies have emphasized the environmental benefits that would come from a global reduction in meat consumption — particularly beef. In April, the World Resources Institute released a report outlining changes in land use and greenhouse gas emissions that would accompany hypothetical global diet shifts.