UN: Reduce Eating Meat to Save the Planet

Vegetarians not only good for the body but also the environment. Report calls for major UN world population need to change your eating habits and switch to a vegetarian to address climate change issues.

Group of international scientists say the biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions is the production of food and the use of fossil fuels.

Scientists say the use of coal and oil could be gradually replaced by renewable energy sources like wind and solar. But the world's population will always need to eat.

Because of the growing world population, it is feared that food production will be the main cause of climate change and environmental degradation.

International Panel of Sustainable Resource Management (IPSRM) showed that livestock production contributes 70 percent of global water pollution, 30 percent use of land and 19 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions. The report will be submitted to governments around the world.

Going vegetarian is the only way to feed the world population while reducing climate change. A significant decrease in the impact may only happen with a change of diet and eating patterns are also significant in the entire world.

"People can help fight climate change by eating less meat," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director UN Environment Programme, as reported by the Telegraph, Friday (4/6/2010).

Steiner said that IPSRM has reviewed all existing scientific data and concluded that the current two main areas which have a disproportionately high impact on the planet's life support systems is the energy in the form of fossil fuels and animal husbandry, especially the increase of cattle for meat and dairy products.

He also recommends that the government could encourage people to eat less meat by changing the tax system and give subsidy to a cheap vegetarian food.

Lord Stern of Brentford, author of the Stern Review states in economic action to combat climate change can be trusted with eating less meat.

He also hopes the price of meat and food 'carbon-intensive' More must be raised so that people can turn into a vegetarian and save the earth.