@Gone2far food transport costs are only 11% of a food’s carbon footprint. You’re still better eating bananas from Ecuador than lamb from a sheep down the road.
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es702969f
“We find that although food is transported long distances in general (1640 km delivery and 6760 km life-cycle supply chain on average) the GHG emissions associated with food are dominated by the production phase, contributing 83% of the average U.S. household’s 8.1 t CO2e/yr footprint for food consumption. Transportation as a whole represents only 11% of life-cycle GHG emissions, and final delivery from producer to retail contributes only 4%. Different food groups exhibit a large range in GHG-intensity; on average, red meat is around 150% more GHG-intensive than chicken or fish. Thus, we suggest that dietary shift can be a more effective means of lowering an average household’s food-related climate footprint than “buying local.” Shifting less than one day per week’s worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more GHG reduction than buying all locally sourced food.“
We will also need less land as right now most crops grown are fed to animals.
www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/WWF_AppetiteForDestruction_Summary_Report_SignOff.pdf
“Globally, the biggest user of crop-based feed is the poultry industry in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, which used 41.5% of the world’s feed in 2009. Poultry increased its share of world meat production from 15% in the mid- 1960s to 32% by 2012 as per capita consumption increased threefold. In 2014, there were over 23 billion chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and guinea fowl on the planet – more than three per person. The second largest feed crop consumer, with 30% of the world’s feed in 2009, is the pig industry. It’s grown steadily in the past decade and is forecasted to continue to climb to meet rising demand. In the UK, pork is the second favourite meat after chicken, with each person eating on average 25kg a year in 2015 – nearly the whole recommended yearly intake for all meats.”
As for grass fed:
www.futureoffood.ox.ac.uk/grazed-and-confused
“This report concludes that grass-fed livestock are not a climate solution. Grazing livestock are net contributors to the climate problem, as are all livestock. Rising animal production and consumption, whatever the farming system and animal type, is causing damaging greenhouse gas release and contributing to changes in land use. Ultimately, if high consuming individuals and countries want to do something positive for the climate, maintaining their current consumption levels but simply switching to grass-fed beef is not a solution. Eating less meat, of all types, is.”
Re-wilding or foresting of the remaining land if we were no longer grazing animals would be good for the environment.
You can also eat mostly local and plant based if you want. Kale, mushrooms, strawberries, pears, apples, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, leeks, potatoes, turnips, carrots, wheat, barley, oats, rapeseed oil, peas, beans, sugar beet, celery, celeriac, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, spring onions, squash, broccoli, parsnips, radishes, water cress, rhubarb, cucumber, asparagus, beetroot, cauliflower, lettuce, berries and more are all grown in the uk.