Eating beef with a clear conscience?

Vegetarians and vegans often, quite justifiably, claim that their way of life is morally superior to those of us carnivores because the breeding of animals is, comparatively, a waste of resources. A cow's stomach produces vast quantities of methane, a greenhouse gas, plus it requires grassland on which to feed, further land to grow additional food for it to eat and finally live transport to a slaughterhouse.

A recent paper (Sustainability 2012, 4, 3279-3301; doi:10.3390/su4123279) explores these issues and gives estimates of what, exactly is the carbon footprint of beef cattle. The bad news is that this is still quite substantial (another article from the centre for sustainable systems shows a comparison). The good news, however, is that it can be greatly reduced. The article quotes values of reduction up to 50% for various regions of the world. Here's a graph of what they reckon to be the most reliable data (from Canada):

It shows a decrease, although the last couple of points raise the question of whether such a rate can be sustained in the future. Different kinds of feed make up a lot of the difference, including how the animal is 'finished' before slaughter, i.e. what it's fattened up on make a difference, as does how the herd is managed - running alongside a dairy herd can lead to exchange that can be beneficial.

A big challenge going forward concerns application of good practice worldwide. The regions with the smallest carbon footprint are the Americas and Europe, but South America, North Australia and Asia have some catching up to do.

It's not realistic to stop people from eating red meat, but it is nice to know that there are things that can be done to mitigate the effect of such a high-consuming industry. Combined with a shove in the right direction for us to eat a little less meat could have a tangible positive effect on our environment.