Over the past several years, governments, including Canada’s, have stepped up to make bolder policy commitments to combat climate change. Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan, however, ignores the proverbial ‘cow in the room’, and fails to acknowledge or address animal agriculture as a key contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Our new report, Animal-sourced food consumption and Canada’s emissions targets, produced in conjunction with Navius Research, shows the federal government and Canadians have a huge opportunity to reduce GHG emissions. We can reach our 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets by eating less meat and dairy.
If Canadians move from a high-meat consumption diet to a low-meat consumption one (a 50% reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050), agriculture emissions will be 16% lower in 2030 and 29% lower in 2050.
Our findings align with research done elsewhere. A study published last month from the University of Bonn in Germany stated that wealthy nations will need to cut their meat consumption by at least 75% to make the necessary reductions in GHGs.
What Canada must do
The government can start by promoting its own policy – the Canada Food Guide.
The latest edition of the guide features a mostly plant-based diet. Promoting the Canada Food Guide is an easy action the government can take to help Canadians transition to towards sustainable eating.
The government must also acknowledge animal agriculture a major source of GHG emissions.
This is the start of setting policy to reduce the growth of animal agriculture and setting emissions reduction targets for this sector.
Take action: urge the Canadian government to make commitments at COP27 in November
We need your help to make sure our representatives in Parliament finally put factory farming on the agenda.
Send an e-letter to your Member of Parliament (MP) now urging them to acknowledge the impacts of animal agriculture on climate change.
Take action
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