Lettuce creates more greenhouse gas than bacon claim
According to a study from Carnegie Mellon University, eating lettuce could be three times worse for the environment than eating bacon.
The study has found that if we were to follow the recommended, balanced diet set out in the US Department of Agriculture’s 2010 dietary guidelines, which includes more fruit, vegetables and dairy products, it would produce six percent more greenhouse gas emissions overall than a ‘typical’ American diet that contains more meat.
Quoted in the Daily Telegraph, one of the report’s authors, professor Paul Fischbeck said: “Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon.
“The main reason lettuce produces around three times more greenhouse gases than bacon is because it’s a fragile plant. It’s not as calorie dense and it requires a huge volume to be shipped to supply demand, expanding massive amounts of energy before it’s even made it to the table.”
The study is in contrast to the recent report from Chatham House claiming that reducing meat consumption level is critical to keeping global warming levels at a safe level.
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