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-One kilogram (kg) of beef results in 60 kg of GHG emissions—nearly 2.5 times that of the closest food type, lamb and mutton. In contrast, the same weight of apples produce less than one kilogram of GHG emissions. On average, emissions from plant-based foods are 10 to 50 times lower than animal-based types. More info

-The average annual carbon dioxide emissions from a typical meat diet are 2,055kg (5.63kg CO2e) per day, compared to 1,391kg for vegetarians (3.81kg CO2e per day) and 1,055 kg for vegans (2.89kg CO2e per day), which is less than half the amount of vegan emissions compared to meat. More info

-The livestock sector is a significant contributor to global human-induced GHG emissions. Livestock supply chains emitted an estimated total of 8.1 gigatonnes CO2-eq in 2010 (using 298 and 34 as global warming potential for N2O and CH4 respectively). Methane (CH4) accounts for about 50 percent of the total. Nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) represent almost equal shares with 24 and 26 percent, respectively. More info

-The below image shows global estimates of emissions by species: It includes emissions attributed to edible products and to other goods and services, such as draught power and wool. Beef cattle produce meat and non-edible outputs. Dairy cattle produce milk and meat as well as non-edible outputs. More info

-A 2021 report by Dr. Sailesh Rao found animal agriculture is responsible for at least 87% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Healers position paper has been published by the Journal of Ecological Society. It argues that the influence of the meat and dairy industry has ‘underestimated’ the environmental impact of livestock farming. More info

-A 2018 Greenpeace report found that “global meat and dairy production and consumption must be cut in half by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change and keep the Paris Agreement on track. If left unchecked, agriculture is projected to produce 52% of global greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, 70% of which will come from meat and dairy.” More info

-Even the most environmentally damaging plant milk type (almond) is better for the planet than dairy milk. See the image below. More info

These facts were compiled for the purposes of the sustainable events toolkit created under the Sustainable Conferences and Events project implemented by Topkinisis Travel and AKTI Project and Research Centre. The Project ENTERPRISES/0618/0046 is co-funded by the European Regional Development Funding and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation.