Meat-fuelled walking worse than driving for climate – study

Kiwis need to re-think how they calculate their environmental impact after new research reveals walking can be worse for the climate than driving if you eat meat.

An article ‘Fuelling walking and cycling: human powered locomotion is associated with non-negligible greenhouse gas emissions’ in Scientific Reports states: “In order to reduce GHG emissions we need to encourage changes in what we eat as well as reducing motorised vehicle use.”

However, the study doesn’t say whether EVs are included, although it mentions car share schemes could have a bigger positive emissions impact than increasing walking.

Emissions for cycling are about half those of walking, so those on e-bikes may not be impacting the planet quite so badly either, especially if it avoids using a car.

“If you’re walking, you’re going to be using more calories – around 50 calories per kilometre,” NZ Vegetarian Society spokesperson Philip McKibbin says.

“To be able to do that – to fuel your walk – you have to eat more. And where you get those additional calories is key. If you get them from red meat, you may as well be driving as far as the climate is concerned because the CO2 generated from producing red meat exceeds that emitted by your car. But if you get those calories from legumes, like beans, you’ll actually be reducing your carbon footprint.”

Cars release around 0.2kg of carbon dioxide per kilometre. According to the study, walking 1km requires 48-76 additional calories. About 50 calories of beef or lamb has a carbon footprint of 0.28kg, whereas 50 calories of legumes produces just 0.001kg – so if you fuel your walk with meat, you risk ‘cancelling out’ the positive gains you make by leaving the car at home.

Globally, transport is responsible for about a quarter of total energy related GHG emissions, and transport emissions have increased at a faster rate than any other energy end-use sector, the report says.

McKibbin says diet is one of the best weapons for fighting climate change.

“Meat and other animal products are associated with very high carbon footprints. If you’re serious about contributing to the fight against climate change, you can start by making changes to what you eat. Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most effective things you can do as an individual – and it’s great for your health, too!”

Visit https://www.vegetarian.org.nz/

for plant-based recipes or sign up online for the 21-Day Plant-Based Challenge

.