Transition to lower carbon diets

Chapter 11.2.3 Food policy

The Scottish Government should advocate for a reduction in meat and dairy consumption.

International

UK Govt

Scottish Govt

Local Authorities

Emissions reduction

Behaviour change

The Scottish Government should develop Sustainable Dietary Guidelines similar to those currently being developed in many European countries; with a significant commitment to rethink policy initiatives to support delivery of these guidelines.

The Climate Change Committee envisaged that Scotland can get to net zero, but a big part of that is reduced emissions from agriculture which involves a shift in the nature of Scottish food production away from red meat and dairy. The Drawdown Project ranks moving to plant-based diets as one of the top two most-effective climate solutions, with a potential to reduce global emissions by around 90,000MtCO2 over the next 30 years.

Current diets, high in meat and dairy produce, are also high carbon. The Climate Change Committee has said that “there should also be a clear plan to move to healthy and low-carbon diets.” It has previously recommended a 20% reduction in meat and dairy consumption by 2030 and a 35% reduction for meat by 2050. The debate about diets and livestock is usually characterised as being about reducing overall livestock numbers and concentrating on producing high quality meat and dairy produce.

A recent study by ClimateXchange looked at seven international examples of diets which are good for the climate (and in most cases good for health). They found that the top recommendations were:

reducing meat, in particular ruminant meat
moderating dairy
increasing vegetables, fruits and plant proteins
sourcing sustainably
avoiding highly processed foods
reducing food waste

Changes in diet are strongly linked to human health, employment in agriculture and social justice, and all of these considerations must be built into the transition to lower-carbon diets.

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