A recent article in the Independent discusses the rapidly increasing market for meat alternatives, citing the unprecedented success of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat which led to vegan options taking over the mainstream, and says that this unstoppable movement “could kickstart a rapid decline in meat’s contribution to the climate crisis.”
Sustainable consumption researcher Malte Rödl writes in the article, originally published in The Conversation, that “vegan meat can massively reduce the hefty emissions burden and animal suffering caused by animal agriculture.”
Animal agriculture releases more emissions than all of the world’s transport combined; animal “livestock” accounts for over 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, with its principal emission being animal methane which is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2 on a 20 year time frame.
With this environmental urgency, there is no excuse for consumers not to try the newly available plethora of products which taste exactly like animal meat, but without the devastating environmental impact. And according to cumulative data, the public is doing just that – with GrubHub stating that veganism is the top trend and that the number one late night order across the USA is the Impossible Burger.
Furthermore, Impossible’s CEO Pat Brown spoke to New Scientist last week, arguing that governments should introduce meat taxes to encourage consumers to be mindful about their purchasing and to realise the importance of reducing their impact on climate change. Brown stated to the publication his goal is to end global beef production by 2035. His product, the Impossible Burger, creates 87 per cent less greenhouse emissions than ones made from cows.