Calculation of external climate costs for food highlights inadequate pricing of animal products

Pieper, Maximilian; Michalke, Amelie; Gaugler, Tobias

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19474-6

Cited by 71 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…GHG production was conspicuously greater from beef cattle finished at pasture than in feedlots. Similar conclusions may be drawn from a recent paper by Pieper et al (2020) that estimated organic production methods for poultry and pork in Europe generate ∼50% more GHG than intensive methods.…”

Section: Life Cycle Analysis: Energy and Carbon Inputs Outputs And Emissionssupporting

confidence: 85%

Green Milk From Contented Cows: Is It Possible?

Webster

2021

Front. Anim. Sci.

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The dairy industry is open to criticism on several fronts: obesity and ill health among the affluent, high demand for crops that could be consumed more sustainably and more equitably by ourselves, environmental damage and climate change, and abuse of animal welfare through production diseases and denial of normal patterns of behaviour. All these criticisms are valid. It is necessary therefore to examine in depth the nature and extent of specific problems to see which, if any, are inevitable, which can be mitigated and which can be avoided altogether. Dairy cattle, like all ruminants, can be sustained wholly, or in part on complementary feeds; grasses and crop residues that cannot be fed directly to humans. Fed appropriate diets dairy cows can produce more energy and protein for human consumption than they consume. The greenhouse gas, methane is an inevitable consequence of rumen fermentation. High yielding cows in confinement produce less methane per litre of milk. There is some scope for reducing methane production through manipulation of rumen fermentation but the impact is likely to be small. The most serious welfare abuses can be linked to genetic and management strategies designed to maximise milk yield from individual cows. These manifest in production diseases and metabolic exhaustion, both leading to premature culling. All these problems; too much milk, too much food waste, too much methane, too many stressed cows, are matters of degree. The poison is in the dose. Thus, solutions will not come from radical advances in biological science but public and political exercises in moderation.

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Section: Life Cycle Analysis: Energy and Carbon Inputs Outputs And Emissionssupporting

confidence: 85%

Green Milk From Contented Cows: Is It Possible?

Webster

2021

Front. Anim. Sci.

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“…Again, there is evidence of under-regulation of meat consumption (Bonnet et al 2020 ). Several reports or publications have emphasized that the retail food prices of meat do not reflect “true costs” (TAPPC 2020 ; Pieper et al 2020 ), questioning, for instance, why meat products usually enjoy reduced VAT rates. The environmental regulation of meat products is also limited; for instance, no country has yet implemented a carbon tax on meat.…”

Section: The Context: Can Cultured Meat Be a Solution?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultured Meat: Promises and Challenges

Treich

2021

Environ Resource Econ

145

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Cultured meat involves producing meat from animal cells, not from slaughtered animals. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize the meat industry, with wide implications for the environment, health and animal welfare. The main purpose of this paper is to stimulate some economic research on cultured meat. In particular, this paper includes a prospective discussion on the demand and supply of cultured meat. It also discusses some early results on the environmental impacts of cultured meat, emphasizing the promises (e.g., regarding the reduction in land use) but also the uncertainties. It then argues that cultured meat is a moral improvement compared to conventional meat. Finally, it discusses some regulatory issues, and the need for more public support to the innovation.

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“…Diet has a strong impact on the environment. High meat consumption is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gases, as well as water consumption [ 13 , 31 , 48 , 58 ]. Similarly, it is known that conventional farming causes higher damage to the environment compared to organic production [ 22 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing Factors for Sustainable Dietary Transformation—A Case Study of German Food Consumption

Seubelt

Michalke

Gaugler

2022

Foods

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In a case study of Germany, we examine current food consumption along the three pillars of sustainability to evaluate external factors that influence consumers’ dietary decisions. We investigate to what extent diets meet nutritional requirements (social factor), the diets’ environmental impact (ecological factor), and the food prices’ influence on purchasing behavior (economic factor). For this, we compare two dietary recommendations (plant-based, omnivorous) with the status quo, and we examine different consumption styles (conventional, organic produce). Additionally, we evaluate 1446 prices of food items from three store types (organic store, supermarket, and discounter). With this, we are able to evaluate and compare 30 different food baskets along their health, environmental, and economic impact. Results show that purchasing decisions are only slightly influenced by health-related factors. Furthermore, few consumers align their diet with low environmental impact. In contrast, a large share of consumers opt for cheap foods, regardless of health and environmental consequences. We find that price is, arguably, the main factor in food choices from a sustainability standpoint. Action should be taken by policy makers to financially incentivize consumers in favor of healthy and environmentally friendly diets. Otherwise, the status quo further drives especially underprivileged consumers towards unhealthy and environmentally damaging consumption.

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Calculation of external climate costs for food highlights inadequate pricing of animal products

Cited by 71 publications

References 68 publications

Green Milk From Contented Cows: Is It Possible?

Green Milk From Contented Cows: Is It Possible?

Cultured Meat: Promises and Challenges

Influencing Factors for Sustainable Dietary Transformation—A Case Study of German Food Consumption

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