What we eat has a profound impact on the planet. According to a new study led by scientists from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota, our dietary choices - and where we make them - strongly influence our contribution to climate change. The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found meat consumption in the U.S. generates a massive and often overlooked source of greenhouse gas emissions.
By tracing the supply chains for beef, pork, and chicken, the researchers calculated the planet-warming emissions from raising the animals Americans eat - what they call the nation’s carbon “hoofprint” - for more than 3,500 towns and cities across the country. The results are staggering: city meat consumption generates about 362 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, which is roughly the same amount of emissions produced by all the fossil fuels burned in American homes.
Even though meat consumption per person is similar across the country, the carbon hoofprint of diets varies widely depending on where the meat was produced and how it was raised. Beef accounts for about 73% of the average city’s carbon hoofprint, since producing it generates far more climate-warming pollution than pork or chicken.
The research reveals how deeply urban and rural systems are connected. City diets depend heavily on rural counties for livestock feed, grazing land, and processing, which can sometimes be thousands of miles away.
The researchers hope cities will use their findings to shape smarter climate policies by supporting sustainable farming, promoting plant-forward meals, and recognizing that urban choices have rural consequences.
