FAQ

Does everyone have to completely stop eating meat to save the planet?

No, because meat is such a powerful pollutant that simply reducing the amount we consume would make a big difference. And there are a few impoverished areas of the world where local populations depend on animals to get their protein requirements because a single animal can provide the amino acids that only a combination of plants do. The number of locations where meat is necessary for human survival, however, is small.

If we stop eating meat won’t we have to use even more farmland to grow crops?

No, because we have to feed far more crops to livestock than we get back in terms of calories and protein. A new report from Our World in Data shows that 75% of the land we currently use for agriculture could be returned to nature.^​1​

If animal agriculture is so bad for the planet, why I didn’t know about it? Why don’t governments do more about it?

Studies show that most people are not aware that animal agriculture is one of the principal drivers of climate change,^​2​ and there are many theories behind this. One is that journalists themselves are not aware, have their own biases and do not want to antagonise their audience with uncomfortable truths – and the same goes for governments.^​3​ Another is that the multi-billion dollar industry has successfully suppressed information from reaching the public in the same way that fossil fuel companies did earlier.^​4​  Meat and dairy corporations have successfully lobbied governments to continue subsidising their businesses while avoiding legislation that would hold them accountable for their carbon footprints.^​5​