We should all eat less meat – that is according to a UN climate change report released today.
A special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body set up to assess climate change, recommends a reduction of meat consumption globally.
The IPCC describes plant-based diets as a major opportunity to mitigate the effects of climate change.
And it seems Hull residents agree.
Almost three quarters of people living in the city are either already eating less meat, or would be willing to cut down, according to a recent survey.
When asked if they were willing to eat less meat to help the environment, 47 per cent of people polled said they already do consume less meat, while 24 per cent said they were willing to, the results of a Hull City Council Vox Pop survey revealed.
And when asked if they were willing to eat less dairy, almost two thirds said either they have already or would cut down, with 30 per cent saying they already consume fewer cheese, butter and milk products and 33 per cent saying they were willing to.
“We don’t want to tell people what to eat,” says ecologist Hans-Otto Portner, who co-chairs the IPCC’s working group on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.
“But it would indeed be beneficial, for both climate and human health, if people in many rich countries consumed less meat, and if politics would create appropriate incentives to that effect.”
The latest People’s Panel Vox Pop survey is asking Hull residents to help shape the city’s strategy on environment and climate change.
It asks about the circular economy – which means to maximise the use made of resources and minimise waste generation.
The results will be used to inform Hull City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Take the survey here.
