The German eating of meat. 60 kilograms per capita and year, according to the Federal Agency for agriculture and nutrition. How does the consumption of meat with the climate? A Fact Check.
Claim: vegetarians eat climate consciously.
Rating: is only partially True, because some of the meat-free product is causing high greenhouse gas emissions.
Facts: The production of one kilogram of beef causes an average of more than 15 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions, in the case of fruit or vegetables, according to the Federal environment Agency (Uba) is less than a kilogram. Anyone who eats less meat, so it saves only once emissions. Add to this, however, is that the Fodder production of soy in South America – needs a lot of space, for the valuable rain forest is being cut down. The rain forests of the earth to stabilize as a giant CO2 storage in our climate.
However, with eating less meat alone is not enough. The decisive factor is the reduction of animal food is, explains Michael Bilharz from the UBA. Because dairy products, especially Butter or cheese, to be concerned about cattle farming to high greenhouse gas emissions, According to environmental report 2012 of the Council of experts for environmental questions of the German government for the production of one kilogram of Butter, conventional animal husbandry to 23.7 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions and in the case of a Kilo of cheese 8.5 kilos. Bilharz, says: “to replace meat by cheese, or cream, for the climate, nothing.”
Meat production is not only due to the land use to climate change. Ruminants such as cattle, emit methane gas – a greenhouse gas, the effect is much stronger on the climate than CO2.
Statement: anyone Who gives up once per week on meat, will not do anything.
Rating: The effect is measurable, but low.
Facts: Would a man, a Time, a Hamburger with 100-grams of meat rissole (2,11 kilograms of greenhouse gases) and instead of Spaghetti with tomato sauce (0.63 kgs) food, this would result in a Savings of 1.48 kilogram of emissions, calculates Tanja Dräger de Teran, WWF. Would come once a week Spaghetti instead of the Burger on the table, would you save in a year, nearly 77 kilograms of greenhouse gases per Person. For comparison: The CO2-footprint per capita and year in Germany, according to Uba 11.6 tons. According to experts, meat consumption would decrease drastically to reach the targeted climate goals.
Statement: children can live without meat.
Evaluation: This is true under certain conditions.
Facts: The nutritional needs of children and young people can be covered by a “well-balanced, plant-stressed diet, mainly,” says the German society for child and adolescent medicine. However, the risk of malnutrition because of higher nutritional requirements in adolescents was greater than in adults. Therefore, the need to ensure a sufficient supply of nutrients particularly. Overall, a vegetarian diet in childhood, requires a high level of information of parents and young people, it says.
If children eat meat, be a well-balanced diet easier, also says UBA expert Bilharz. “Just the meat, omit it and continue to eat, don’t go.”
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