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How to eat better for the planet

You're environmentally conscious—and hungry. Here are answers to all your co-friendly food questions.

Does what I eat have an effect on climate change?

Yes. The world's food system is responsible for about one quarter of the planet-warming greenhouse gases that humans generate each year. That includes raising and harvesting all the plants, animals, and animal products we eat. 1

How exactly does food contribute to global warming?

When some forests are cleared to make room for farms, cattle, sheep or other livestock, some serious problems may come up. 2 Also, fossil fuels are used to operate farm machinery, make fertilizer, and ship food around the globe, all of which generate emissions.

What about chickens?

A number of studies have found that chickens, ducks, and other birds have a lesser climate impact than cattle or sheep kept on a farm. 3 Especially at converting feeding materials into animal meat, the efficiency is highly improved, though this has prompted major concerns about animal welfare.

Is organic produce better for the climate?

Organic produce is grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily better than conventionally grown produce from a climate perspective. 4 In some cases it can be worse.

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It's true that one person alone just makes a little bit in the climate problem. On the other hand,if many people made changes to their diets, that could start to add up. Experts have argued that it would make a big difference if the world's heaviest meat eaters scaled back—even moderately.

A. Does what we eat matter?

B. Can I really make a difference?

C. Organic farms often require more land.

D. Modern-day chickens are bred to be extremely efficient.

E. Processing, packaging, and shipping food are also part of it.

F. Advances in chicken breeding are helping to reduce the cost of it.

G. Large stores of carbon released into the atmosphere heat up the planet.