Plant-based foods of any kind are dramatically lower in nearly every environmental metric. They are not carbon-intensive at all
If I source my beef or lamb from low-impact producers, could they have a lower footprint than plant-based alternatives?The evidence suggests, no: plant-based foods emit fewer greenhouse gases than meat and dairy, regardless of how they are produced.
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Plant-based protein sources – tofu, beans, peas and nuts – have the lowest carbon footprint. This is certainly true when you compare average emissions. But it’s still true when you compare the extremes: there’s not much overlap in emissions between the worst producers of plant proteins, and the best producers of meat and dairy.
EDIT: I should also mention the emissions also mostly come from what’s produced rather than in differences in things like transportation, processing, etc.
Transport is a small contributor to emissions. For most food products, it accounts for less than 10%, and it’s much smaller for the largest GHG emitters. In beef from beef herds, it’s 0.5%.
Not just transport but all processes in the supply chain after the food leaves the farm – processing, transport, retail, and packaging – mostly account for a small share of emissions.
Plant-based foods of any kind are dramatically lower in nearly every environmental metric. They are not carbon-intensive at all
https://ourworldindata.org/less-meat-or-sustainable-meat
EDIT: I should also mention the emissions also mostly come from what’s produced rather than in differences in things like transportation, processing, etc.
https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local