1. (M)eating our way to extinction
Mathilde Francois-Downey
MSc Sustainability and Consultancy

2. Table of contents Context Resource allocation Environmental impacts
Health impacts
Solutions
Table of contents

3. Current trends Population growth Middle class growth Poverty
Climate change
Food insecurity

4. Resource allocation Distribution of global crops
1kg of beef  7kg of grains 821 million undernourished people

5. Environmental impacts
18%
Worldwide GHG emissions
32%
Water use
70%
Land use
64%
Deforestation
Acidification, soil erosion, resource depletion
Environmental impacts

6. Health impacts Saturated fat and cholesterol
Risks of heart attack, stroke and heart disease
Chronic diseases
Rising obesity: 13% of adults

7. Solutions Change in food consumption patterns Plant-based diets
Crops feed to humans
Governmental action
Educational programmes
Market instruments
Fair distribution of food

8. References
Daly, H Allocation, distribution, and scale: towards an economics that is efficient, just, and sustainable. Ecological Economics. 6(3), pp
Gerbens-Leenes, P.W., Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y The water footprint of poultry, pork and beef: A comparative study in different countries and production systems. Water Resources and Industry. 1, pp
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Building resilience for peace and food security. Rome, FAO
Heinrich Böll Foundation  Meat atlas: facts and figures about the animals we eat. Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R.S., Walker, P How Sustainable Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives. 110(5) pp
IPCC IPCC SR1.5. Chapter 2: Mitigation pathways compatible with 1.5°C in the context of sustainable development. Available at: [Accessed 11 November 2018]
Monbiot, G The best way to save the planet? Drop meat and dairy. The Guardian. Available at: [Accessed 5 November 2018]
Poore, J. and Nemecek, T Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. 360(6392), pp
Poore, J We label fridges to show their environmental impact-why not food? The Guardian. Available at: [Accessed: 8th November 2018]
Springman et al Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature. 562 pp
Steinfeld, H., Gerber P., Wassenaar, T., Castel, V., Rosales, M. & Haan, C Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 
Thornton, P.K Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B pp
Van der Zee, B What is the true cost of eating meat? The Guardian
Available at: [Accessed: 11 November 2018]
Wageningen University and Research Centre Agriculture is the direct driver for worldwide deforestation. Science Daily. Available at: [Accessed 12 November 2018]
Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., et.al Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet. 393, pp
Photos: Pexels.com

9. Questions?