Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture

The author contends that animal agriculture is a major but ignored driver of climate change, responsible for at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The text calls for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy to shift subsidies away from meat and dairy and toward farmers diversifying into plant protein crops, such as fava beans and hemp in the UK. It highlights that reducing animal farming is essential for the UK to meet its 80% emissions reduction target by 2050 and suggests that dietary shifts toward veganism could yield carbon savings greater than removing all cars from UK roads.

• Animal agriculture is a primary driver of environmental degradation and climate change, contributing at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which exceeds the emissions of all global transport combined.
• Dairy production specifically accounts for approximately 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to methane production from cows.
• The UK's legally binding commitment to reduce emissions by at least 80% by 2050 is considered unachievable without a reduction in the number of farmed animals.
• Shifting diets away from meat in the UK would have a massive impact on emissions; abstaining from meat one day a week would save 13 megatonnes of CO2, while six days a week would save more than removing all cars from UK roads.
• Intensive livestock production negatively impacts global food security by utilizing approximately one-third of the world's grains for animal feed rather than direct human consumption.
• The author proposes reforming the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to provide financial incentives and budgets for farmers to transition from livestock to sustainable plant protein crops, noting that the UK is particularly suited for fava beans and hemp.

APA

Pierce, J. (2016). Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/grow-green-tackling-climate-change-through-plant-protein-agriculture/

Chicago

Pierce, Jimmy. Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/grow-green-tackling-climate-change-through-plant-protein-agriculture/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pierce |first1=Jimmy |title=Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture |publisher=Green European Journal |date=4 April 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/grow-green-tackling-climate-change-through-plant-protein-agriculture/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pierce2016grow, author = {Pierce, Jimmy}, title = {{Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/grow-green-tackling-climate-change-through-plant-protein-agriculture/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }