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Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca )  to Climate@slrpnk.netEnglish · 2 years ago

Eating less meat ‘like taking 8m cars off road’

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Eating less meat ‘like taking 8m cars off road’

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www.bbc.com

Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca )  to Climate@slrpnk.netEnglish · 2 years ago
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A new Oxford University study pinpoints for the first time how high- and low-meat diets impact the planet.
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  • SplashJackson ( SplashJackson@lemmy.ca ) 
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    2 years ago

    8 metres of cars??? What is that these days, one ford f150?

    • SkaveRat ( SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de ) 
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      2 years ago

      I exclusively drive strech limos

    • Bob ( MadBob@feddit.nl ) 
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      2 years ago

      Eight-metre cars.

      • SplashJackson ( SplashJackson@lemmy.ca ) 
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        2 years ago

        Astute

    • perestroika ( perestroika@slrpnk.net ) 
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      2 years ago

      Additional note: per UK. :) The predicted effect, either in meters or millions of cars, is if the UK inhabitants currently eating a high-meat diet switched to a low-meat diet.

  • ODGreen ( ODGreen@slrpnk.net ) 
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    2 years ago

    If eating no meat at all is too hard, from a climate perspective eating no beef will have the biggest impact. Eating no ruminants to be specific, but hardly anyone is eating bison/sheep/goat on the regular.

    • Admiral Patrick ( ptz@dubvee.org ) 
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      2 years ago

      I went like 90% vegetarian and switched to the meat substitutes. If I can do it, anyone can. I’ve always had a meat-a-saurus diet until 2-3 years ago.

      • ODGreen ( ODGreen@slrpnk.net ) 
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        2 years ago

        I’ve only met one person who couldn’t go veg, because they had allergies to everything: soy, legumes, nuts.

        There’s been a lot of obsession with protein in popular culture when in reality unless you’re a bodybuilder you don’t need a ton and a veg diet will suffice. And there are tons of vegan athletes.

        The point I was making is that there is one step even the laziest can take to have an impact: just stop eating beef. Going full veg is better of course.

    • Blackmist ( Blackmist@feddit.uk ) 
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      2 years ago

      Lamb is popular in the UK. Beef is actually behind chicken and pork already.

      • ODGreen ( ODGreen@slrpnk.net ) 
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        2 years ago

        Is lamb a regular dish or more of a Christmas and special occasion dish? I’m not in the UK so I genuinely don’t know. Not sure that you can get lamb at a fast food joint like you can with beef burgers.

        • Blackmist ( Blackmist@feddit.uk ) 
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          2 years ago

          Shepherd’s pie is a fairly regular Sunday meal.

          And kebab meat is normally lamb. You can get that at pretty much any takeaway chippy in the country, and is traditionally eaten with about six pints of cheap lager.

        • Mr_Blott ( Mr_Blott@feddit.uk ) Banned
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  • monobot ( monobot@lemmy.ml ) 
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    2 years ago

    While I support not eating meat, I am also realistic and reducing is good enough.

    But the problem is that not every meat is created the same. There is one footprint for meat feom animals that are grazing and are used in regenerative agriculture and much bigger from industrial farming of cows fed with irrigated alfalfa in desert.

    • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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      While I support not eating meat, I am also realistic and reducing is good enough.

      No, we gotta completely uproot the animal agriculture industry if we want to save the planet and no “regenerative farming cattle” still uses too much land/water and has bovines abused and slaughtered for nothing.

      https://veganuary.com/try-vegan/

      • boonhet ( boonhet@lemm.ee ) 
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        2 years ago

        Okay, then I might as well just keep eating as much meat as I do now though? If we have to be perfect and most people aren’t going to be perfect, there’s no point in even trying.

        Or maybe get off your high horse, accept that humanity isn’t perfect, and try to get people to eat less meat first, then worry about getting them to eat no meat at all. 50% of people doing 70% of what they should is more useful than 10% doing 100%.

        • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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          There are no baby steps to stoping animal abuse. It’s not hard to follow a 31 day challenge.

          Do that first then comeback critic my “big ask”.

          • boonhet ( boonhet@lemm.ee ) 
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            2 years ago

            Your effect on people opting NOT to eat less meat because you’re trying to moralize them is going to outdo your personal contribution at least 10 to 1, maybe 100 to 1 if you interact with enough people.

  • Patrizsche ( Patrizsche@lemmy.ca ) 
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    2 years ago

    Hey how about you cut down on private jets and I keep eating my burgers

    • Jack ( JustJack23@slrpnk.net ) 
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      2 years ago

      Yeah right, eating less meat smells awful lot like “calculate your carbon footprint”

    • Cethin ( Cethin@lemmy.zip ) 
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      2 years ago

      Two things can both be done. Saying one thing is worse is only an excuse to do nothing. Those rich fucks on their jets will probably point to companies polluting more. Do what’s best and advocate the same for others. Everyone just pointing to something else is how we end up in the situation we’re in. “I got mine. Go attack them!” Changing ourselves allows us to see all issues and work on them all.

  • granolabar ( granolabar@kbin.melroy.org ) 
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    2 years ago

    How many cars off the road does a dead executive take?

    What about Taylor swift…

    I am all about eating less meat for various reasons but this some idiotic thesis.

    • AbeilleVegane ( AbeilleVegane@beehaw.org ) 
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      2 years ago

      Why not both?

      Are you implying that we should only do good things if they are the most good things in existence? Like, I shouldn’t have an electric car because planes exist? Please enlighten me.

      • granolabar ( granolabar@kbin.melroy.org ) 
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        2 years ago

        This is BBC which speaks for big oil…

        Eat less meat but don’t be confused what BBC is doing here…

        yUoR CaRBON FoOTPriNt

        • AbeilleVegane ( AbeilleVegane@beehaw.org ) 
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          2 years ago

          So the problem is the hypocrisy of the news empire, not an idiotic thesis?

  • ByteOnBikes ( ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net ) 
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    2 years ago

    You transition out of meat to save the environment.

    I transitioned out of meat because of meat recalls and all the chemicals they sneak in a cow, and was ripping the hardest farts that would clear out a room.

    We are not the same.

    • Teppichbrand ( Teppichbrand@feddit.org ) 
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      2 years ago

      Dat odorless, anxiety-free, harmles fun of vegan farts!

      • ByteOnBikes ( ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net ) 
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        Not kidding. Had a vegan apologize when she ripped a loud fart because steamed carrots made her gassy.

        Not a single person smelled anything.

  • GissaMittJobb ( GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml ) 
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    A bit underwhelming when put into the context of the estimated number of cars being closer to 1.5B, but worthwhile to pursue regardless.

    • ODGreen ( ODGreen@slrpnk.net ) 
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      This would be 8 million cars in the UK alone, which has a population of 68 million.

      • GissaMittJobb ( GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml ) 
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        2 years ago

        Serves me right for not reading the article. I’ll keep my shame up for display in public

        • ODGreen ( ODGreen@slrpnk.net ) 
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          2 years ago

          Thank you for your service 🫡

        • monobot ( monobot@lemmy.ml ) 
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          2 years ago

          No need, most articles are bad and much longer than needed. Luckily chatgpt&friends are good at summarizing.

  • merthyr1831 ( merthyr1831@lemmy.ml ) 
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    2 years ago

    why are the slabs of meat in little towels like they’re on a spa day

  • 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚎 ( glowie@h4x0r.host ) Banned from community
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    • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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      Great an astroturfer…

      You’re lying about ever being vegan as if you were you would’ve known that processed vegan food products are not the only alternatives to eating meat as there are pulses, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains you can have instead.

      Plant-based meat is actually healthier than processed meat and red meat.

      • 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚎 ( glowie@h4x0r.host ) Banned from community
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        • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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          2 years ago

          Someone is trolling.

          • 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚎 ( glowie@h4x0r.host ) Banned from community
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            • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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              Says the person obviously lying about having lower levels of energy despite the fact studies show that vegans are actually healthier.

              A study published last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that dietary protein derived from plant sources built muscle just as well as protein from meat sources. However meat also comes with additional components that are harmful to our health, including antibiotic residue, hormones, saturated fat, trans-fats, endotoxins, cholesterol, Neu5Gc, heterocyclic amines and contaminants such as high levels of metals including copper and arsenic. These undesirable elements increase inflammation and promote various diseases thus making meat a less desirable option when building muscle and long term health are considered.

              Source

              A plant-based diet consists of exclusively plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and avoids meat, dairy, and eggs. Plant-based foods are full of fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals, free of cholesterol, and low in calories and saturated fat. Eating a variety of these foods provides all the protein, calcium, and other essential nutrients your body needs. It’s important to include a reliable source of vitamin B12 in your diet. You can easily meet your vitamin B12 needs with a daily supplement or fortified foods, such as vitamin B12-fortified breakfast cereals, plant milks, and nutritional yeast. Those who eat a plant-based diet lower their risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions. Research also shows that a plant-based diet can be less expensive that an omnivorous diet.

              Source

              • 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚎 ( glowie@h4x0r.host ) Banned from community
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    • Annoyed_🦀  ( Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc ) 
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      overly processed vegan garbage.

      Am not vegan, but your issue here is eating all these “plant-based” ultra-processed food and thinking that’s the only way. Just eat more veggie and mushroom and bean.

      • granolabar ( granolabar@kbin.melroy.org ) 
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        Yeah but the slop being market to gen pop is literally same quality as a hotdog

  • MNByChoice ( MNByChoice@midwest.social ) 
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    I am a fan of context. There were about 29.1 million vehicles on the road in the USA in 2023.

    8 million is a lot, and part of the overall solution.

    Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/859950/vehicles-in-operation-by-quarter-united-states/

    • Not_mikey ( Not_mikey@slrpnk.net ) 
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      The article is just about the u.k. The number would be larger for the u.s. due to both population size, and that the u.s. eats more meat, around 50% more. Although we do drive more per car here as well, so that may effect it as well.

  • WorldsDumbestMan ( WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today ) 
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    I wish cloned meat was a viable thing. No animal suffering, far less pollution, sticking it to the vegan.

    • Sunshine (she/her) ( Sunshine@lemmy.ca ) OP
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      There are great alternatives today like impossible, beyond and tofurky. There’s no need to wait for lab grown meat. That’s like saying sticking it to the abolitionists and feminists. It’s silly to want to stick it to the most moral people in the world.

      • commie ( commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 
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        abolitionists and feminists fight for human dignity. comparing them to animals undermines human dignity

        • spujb ( spujb@lemmy.cafe ) 
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      • WorldsDumbestMan ( WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today ) 
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        No idea what that is about, maybe because I do want to eat meat, without the moral implications.

        Anyway, I doubt I can get away with it in this conservative shithole country. If I didn’t live with my parents, I would have cut meat quite a lot. I actually prefer salads and such.

    • Feyd ( Feyd@programming.dev ) 
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      Very mature of you.

      • WorldsDumbestMan ( WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today ) 
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        But they hurt my fee fees with their mean words!

    • araneae ( araneae@beehaw.org ) 
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      Why would this be sticking it to a vegan if you are eating a cloned organism with no experience of life? Its not a zero sum game, you can both have some (vegan) pie.

  • commie ( commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 
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    “new” study, draws half it’s methodology from referencing older papers, including the problematic poore-nemecek 2018 piece.

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