The food system is currently responsible for about 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and these emissions are expected to rise rapidly as people around the world become more affluent and consume more meat and dairy products. Reducing the consumption of animal products is critical because of their carbon footprint.
Given that dire trend, immediate changes to the way we produce and eat food are essential to stay within the Paris agreement targets, said Michael Clark, a researcher at Oxford University who co-authored a recent study on the topic published in Science. “The best time would have been 20 years ago, but the second-best time to start talking about food is now,” he said.