Flexitarianism: Decarbonising through flexible vegetarianism

The paper examines food consumption and argues that there is a lot of potential for decarbonisation if people reduce their meat consumption. The highest levels of meat consumption are observed in the developed world and the livestock sector has been shown to be the largest single contributor for greenhouse gas emissions globally. Estimates indicate that a low-meat diet can reduce the cost of abating climate change. The paper presents an argument as to how flexitarianism - reduced meat consumption to the recommended healthy levels, can help in arresting climate change. Flexitarianism offers an easy way to achieve fast decarbonisation and has the added benefits of contributing towards improving not only the biophysical health of the planet but also that of its human habitants.