Everyday action · tip no. 3
Eat less red meat: an effective action for the climate
According to ADEME, a meal with beef emits about 14 times more greenhouse gas than a vegetarian meal. Cutting down on red meat, without necessarily giving it up, makes a real difference over a year.
Food accounts for about a fifth of the carbon footprint of a person in France. And on the plate, not all foods are equal: according to data from ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition, a meal with beef emits about 7 kg of CO₂ equivalent, compared with about 0.5 kg for a vegetarian meal, roughly 14 times less. Replacing a few red-meat meals a week is one of the most effective actions for the climate, and often one of the simplest to put in place.
Why red meat weighs so heavily
Methane from ruminants
Cattle and sheep are ruminants: their stomachs digest grass through fermentation, which produces methane, released mainly through the mouth as they chew the cud. Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO₂ in the short term, even though it stays in the atmosphere for less time. According to the IPCC, it is responsible for a significant share of the warming observed since pre-industrial times, and livestock farming is one of its main sources.
An inefficient conversion
To produce one kilogram of meat, an animal must eat a much larger amount of plants: grass, but also cereals and soybean meal. These crops require land, fertilisers (which emit nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas) and energy. The longer an animal lives before being eaten, the more these needs add up. That is why beef has a much larger footprint than chicken or pork.
Imported deforestation
In some parts of the world, particularly South America, forests are cleared to make way for pasture or soybean crops used for animal feed. Some of this soy is imported into Europe. Destroying a forest releases the carbon it stored and deprives the planet of a carbon sink.
What the data say
Using its Agribalyse database, ADEME publishes the carbon footprint of typical meals. The orders of magnitude are as follows:
- a meal with beef: about 7.3 kg of CO₂ equivalent;
- a vegetarian meal: about 0.5 kg of CO₂ equivalent;
- meals with poultry or pork fall in between, much closer to the vegetarian meal than to the beef meal.
Let's do a simple calculation. Someone who replaces three beef meals a week with vegetarian meals avoids about 6.8 kg of CO₂ equivalent per meal, or more than 20 kg per week and, over a year, around one tonne. That is a significant share of a footprint of 8 to 9 tonnes.
Dairy products, especially cheese, also have a large footprint, because they come from the same ruminants. Pulses (lentils, chickpeas, dried beans), on the other hand, provide plenty of protein for a very low footprint.
How to do it in practice
1. Start with beef and lamb
There is no need to go vegetarian overnight. The most effective step is to target meat from ruminants first: replacing a steak with chicken, eggs or a pulse-based dish already has a big effect.
2. Adopt a few vegetarian meals a week
Many of the world's cuisines are naturally rich in meat-free dishes: Indian lentil dal, chili sin carne, vegetable and chickpea couscous, vegetable curry, pasta with vegetables, omelettes, gratins, hearty soups. Two or three vegetarian meals a week fit easily into daily life, at home or at work.
3. Make the most of pulses
Lentils, chickpeas, red or white beans, split peas: they are cheap, keep for a long time and are rich in protein and fibre. Combined with cereals (rice, semolina, bread, pasta), they provide good-quality protein. Canned or frozen versions save a lot of time.
4. Less, but better
When you do eat meat, you can reduce portions and choose quality. Meat as a side rather than the main dish, as in many traditional cuisines, keeps the flavour while cutting the quantity.
5. Reduce food waste
Food that is thrown away was produced, transported and sometimes cooked for nothing. Planning meals, keeping leftovers and using products before their use-by date avoid needless emissions, and save money.
What about health?
French public health authorities already recommend limiting meat other than poultry to about 500 g per week and processed meats to 150 g per week, and eating more pulses. Cutting down on red meat therefore goes in the same direction as nutritional guidelines. If in doubt, especially for children, pregnant women or older people, ask a health professional for advice.
Misconceptions to avoid
- "Eating local is what matters most." Transport usually accounts for only a small part of a food's footprint. What you eat matters much more than where it comes from: local beef generally emits far more than a dish of imported lentils.
- "Without meat, you lack protein." A varied diet with pulses, cereals, eggs and dairy products easily covers the protein needs of most adults.
- "Grasslands store carbon, so livestock farming is neutral." Grasslands do store carbon and are valuable for biodiversity. But this storage generally offsets only part of livestock emissions.
In short
- Food accounts for about a fifth of the carbon footprint of a person in France.
- According to ADEME, a meal with beef emits about 14 times more than a vegetarian meal.
- Replacing three beef meals a week with vegetarian meals can avoid around one tonne of CO₂ equivalent per year.
- Pulses are the ideal ally: cheap, filling and very low-emission.