“We do need to shift our diets:” Harvard study reveals link between high meat consumption and climate change

A new Harvard study found the connection between the meat industry and climate change is stronger than initially thought. In a study published earlier this year, researchers from Harvard University surveyed more than 200 climate scientists and food/agriculture experts based in 48 countries. The results helped Harvard researchers better understand the intertwined relationship between the meat and agriculture industry and climate change due to global emissions. Global emissions are the release of greenhouse gases, which are naturally occurring gases that help keep the planet warm and habitable. The problem arises when there are too much of these gases, and multiple man-made industries contribute to releasing an unnatural amount. Based on the experts’ responses to 19 questions, the study found by 2036, global emissions due to livestock and farming must drop by 61% to keep the Earth’s overall temperature from rising to a detrimental level. The Paris Agreement was created to help stop this problem. Enacted in November 2016, “The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference,” according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Researcher Toby Days grew up on a farm...