Does eating less meat lead to decreased Greenhouse Gas emissions?

Reduced meat consumption might not lower greenhouse gas emissions from a major beef producing region, research shows.

The finding may seem incongruous, as intensive agriculture is responsible for such a large proportion of global emissions.

According to research by University researchers, Scotland’s Rural College and Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, reducing beef production in the Brazilian Cerrado could increase global greenhouse gas emissions.

Brazilian grasslands

While grasslands are not as effective as forests at storing carbon, Brazilian grass - mostly Brachiaria genus - has a greater capacity to do so than grass found in Europe, owing to its long roots.

High quality grasslands will cause more carbon to be stored in the soil, which will lead to a decrease in CO2 emissions.

Grassland improvement involves chemical and mechanical treatment of the soil, and use of better adapted seeds along with calcium, limestone and nitrogen fertilisers.

Most Brazilian grassland soils are acidic, requiring little nitrogen.

Meat consumption

In the case of the Brazilian Cerrado, reduced meat consumption could remove the incentive for grassland improvement and therefore lead to higher emissions.

The researchers worked out that if demand for beef is 30 per cent higher by 2030 compared with current estimates, net emissions would decrease by 10 per cent.

Reducing demand by 30 per cent would lead to 9 per cent higher emissions, provided the deforestation rates are not altered by a higher demand.

However, if deforestation rates increase along with demand, emissions could increase by as much as 60 per cent.

The findings were published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Sirloin steak image via Shutterstock.

Read more at Universtiy of Edinburgh.