Your dinner might have a bigger environmental footprint than you think.
When people think about helping the environment, they might picture recycling, driving less, carpooling or using a reusable water bottle. Although these are all great practices to support the environment, another decision —one we make several times a day— also has an impact: what we eat.
According to “Environmental Impacts of Food Production” by Hannah Ritchie, Pablo Rosado and Max Roser, food production is responsible for roughly one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses about half of the world’s habitable land. That means what ends up on our plates is connected to climate change and biodiversity.
So the question to think about is: can changing what we eat make a significant difference?
The research suggests that it can, but the difference in food choice matters and has diverse impacts.
What We Eat Matters More Than We Might Think
A study published in Science by researchers Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek examined data from approximately 38,700 farms across 119 countries and 40 food products. The researchers studied the environmental impacts throughout the food supply chain, including farming, processing and packaging.
An important finding was that not every food has a dramatically different environmental footprint.
The studies showed that animal products such as beef and lamb have much higher greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based foods. When comparing foods based on the amount of protein they provide, Poore and Nemecek found that producing 100 grams of protein from beef generates about 25 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents, compared with about 1.6 kilograms for tofu, 0.65 kilograms for beans and 0.4 kilograms for peas.
Cattle require land for grazing and feed, while beef production creates methane emissions through digestion that are associated with manure and land use.
This doesn’t mean eating one hot dog or hamburger will determine the future of the planet, but it can illustrate why repeatedly choosing foods can matter.
But What About Chicken, Fish and Eggs?
The environmental impact of food isn’t simply divided into “meat” and “plants.”
As said previously, different animal products have various footprints.
Some people don’t want to change their diet, and that is completely okay; even little changes and substitutions can matter. Replacing some higher-impact foods with lower-impact alternatives may reduce the environmental footprint of a person’s diet even if they don’t want to give up animal products.
There is something to be known about fish: seafood isn’t automatically an environmentally friendly choice, and impacts can vary depending on how it’s caught or farmed. Data from Poore and Nemecek shows that farmed shrimp has a substantially higher greenhouse gas footprint than many other seafood and plant-based options. Being pescatarian (someone who doesn’t eat meat or poultry but does eat fish and seafood, who may also eat eggs and dairy) doesn’t by default mean that it’s sustainable. The specific food still matters.
So, Does One Person’s Diet Really Matter?
The question this answer addresses becomes a little complicated because one person changing their diet isn’t going to solve climate change. Food systems are huge, and environmental problems also require change from farmers, governments and consumers collectively.
That being said, individual choices aren’t meaningless.
Environmental differences between foods can be substantial. Research by Poore and Nemecek found that reducing consumption of high-impact foods and shifting toward lower-impact alternatives could substantially reduce the environmental pressures associated with the food system.
No responsibility is put on one person. Not everyone has the same access to cooking facilities, grocery stores or sustainable options. This is an important factor as well. The goal isn’t to be perfect, but to be mindful.
What Can College Students Actually Do?
Eating sustainably doesn’t have to be an overnight change.
Instead, small changes can include:
- Meatless days a few times a week
- Choose beans, lentils and tofu more often
- Consider eating less beef and lamb if you eat meat
- Be intentional about seafood choices
Making sustainable changes to a diet isn’t about finding the perfect one for you. It can be about being more aware of the consequences behind the choices that are made, which affect the environment.
The next time you sit down for dinner, you don’t have to feel guilty about what’s on your plate, but it might be worth asking questions.
What if the choices we make at the grocery store are small acts of kindness to the environment, and what could happen if millions of people made slightly different choices?
For me, this question became more personal when I decided to become vegetarian. I started paying more attention to what I was putting on my plate and wondering whether this small change in my everyday routine could actually make a difference for the environment.