Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Aberdeen University found that an increase in global consumption of meat will lead to an upturn of greenhouse gas levels by up to 80 percent.
The authors noted that if current trends prevail, global food production will surpass the 2050 target for greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, the agricultural produce of this year will not be sufficient to meet the food demand of 9.6 billion population of the world by then.
The study suggested that if worldwide dietary preference does not change, 10 percent of the tropical forests will be rehabilitated to become pasturelands for livestock in the next 35 years; fertilizer use will grow by 45 percent; and croplands will expand by 42 percent. Methane emissions will also increase due to the amplified use of fertilizer and other food-processing related activities.
"The average efficiency of livestock converting plant feed to meat is less than 3 percent, and as we eat more meat, more arable cultivation is turned over to producing feedstock for animals that provide meat for humans," study author Bojana Bajzeli, research associate form the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge, explained to BBC News.
The study stressed that the threat lies on the increasing number of people who adopted the American-style of eating, which features more meat.
The researchers recommended that the government should support the farmers in developing countries so they could reap higher yields from the land they cultivate. They also called for new strategies to meet the global food demand without resorting to expansion of croplands and pasturelands. People can also help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by adapting healthier diets and limiting consumption of meat and dairy products.
Further details of the study were published in the Sept.2 issue of Nature Climate Change.
