- It is an interesting study that shows that we can make an important contribution to the climate even if we are not prepared to completely change our diet and stop eating meat, says Martin Persson, assistant professor of land use at Chalmers University of Technology who read the study in the journal Nature.
Need for pasture
The fact that there can be such large effects from a relatively small reduction in our meat consumption is connected with the need for grazing land for meat animals.
Forests, not least rainforests, are being cut down to create new pastures as the demand for beef is constantly increasing.
Deforestation - double negative effect
The deforestation itself causes large emissions of the greenhouse gases methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
And at the same time, trees that would otherwise have absorbed carbon dioxide disappear.
- This economic calculation made by the German researchers shows that every kilo of beef we reduce is important, and especially since the first kilos have a great effect on the deforestation, says Martin Persson.
If we reduce the consumption of beef by more than 20 percent, the climate benefit will of course be even greater.
But the relationship is not linear, ie the climate benefits diminish somewhat over time, according to the study.
The reason is that not all grazing land can be converted to new forest or cultivation.