What does a climate-friendly diet look like?

With food systems responsible for about 30% of our greenhouse gas emissions, there’s no doubt that what goes in your mouth has a major impact on the planet. Conal Hanna explains how to get started.

Growing up, meat was on the dinner table in our household every night. Spag Bol. Chops. Stirfrys. Not to mention ham or devon (remember that?) on school sandwiches most days.  

It wasn’t until years later, when my wife went back to uni to study vet science, that we began re-evaluating our relationship with meat. A few trips to abattoirs to watch industrial meat production up close convinced her, and soon me, of the value of eating less (but more expensive) meat from animals reared in healthier conditions. 

Then, in 2020, we revisited this relationship again but for climate reasons. To be honest, the idea of researching a diet that was good for not only our health but the planet’s as well was a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, we found we didn’t have to - someone else had done it for us. 

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission gathered together scientists to imagine a diet that could be sustainable for the 10 billion people expected to live on Earth by 2050, taking into account factors such as effects on human health, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, biodiversity loss and soil impacts.

The resulting diet, which was updated last year, recommends the following limits on things like meat, fish and dairy: 

• 200g of chicken a week

• 200g of fish a week

• 200g of beef, lamb or pork a fortnight

• 250g of dairy foods per day

Of course, that’s not to say their Planetary Health Diet is universally agreed upon - there will be some who say it doesn't go far enough. But food is a personal topic, often with deep cultural significance. Don't feel like you have to completely change your diet overnight.

My advice to anyone looking to reduce their meat in-take is to do it gradually - learning delicious new vegetarian meals as you go. Pasta night is an easy one to make vegetarian-friendly. Italian, Indian and Mexican cuisines all have lots of delicious vegetarian options.

A few of our favourite vegetarian cook books are:

• One Pot, Pan, Planet - Anna Jones

• A Modern Way to Eat - Anna Jones

• River Cottage Veg Every Day - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

• Plenty - Yotam Ottolenghi

Let us know yours in the comments below.