'Should We All Give Up Eating Meat to Save the Planet?', was an event held recently in the Red Theatre at Summerhall as
part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival (EISF) on the 6th April
2018.
I have recently been conducting interviews with researchers,
policymakers and those working for NGOs asking them about sustainable diets,
and how sustainability criteria might be incorporated into existing dietary advice.
These interviews showed me how, even among those who work in this area, there
is a lot of uncertainty about applying the concept of sustainability to the
food system in general and individual diets in particular. Public interest in nutrition
and environmental research public is high but sustainable diets are a new and
relatively unfamiliar idea, so they seemed an ideal topic to discuss.
The event was structured around two short (15min) presentations
based on current environmental and nutrition research, followed by a 30 minute question
and answer session that allowed audience members to ask questions about, or
comment further on, specific issues covered in the two talks. The overall aim
of the event was introduce participants to research in these areas, and encourage
them to think about the impacts their own diets might have on the environment. Between
the talks and the discussion session, there was also a short break to serve a selection
of sustainable snacks, provided by Edinburgh Larder.
I gave the first talk which outlined the environmental
impacts of food production and consumption, focusing on the greenhouse gas
emissions associated with the production and consumption of food. Such data
shows very clearly that the foods with the greatest impact are red meat, particularly
from sheep and cows. The second talk was given by Pamela Mason, a nutritionist
who has recently co-authored a textbook
on sustainable diets. She outlined the health impacts of the average British
diet and outlined why we need to reduce our consumption of red and processed
meat, eating less
but better meat. One element of these changes, Pamela suggested, should be
the development of sustainable dietary guidelines to advise both individuals and
those in charge of public procurement, i.e. meals in schools, hospital and care
homes.
The discussion session was lively and a range of divergent
views were expressed, but the tone remained constructive throughout. Topics
raised included: insects and in-vitro meat as alternative sources of protein;
why are the GHG emissions for lamb are so high and whether changing the diet of
sheep can mitigate this; is it possible to include fish in a sustainable diet;
and the need for new regulation to drive reductions in food-related GHG
emissions. Feedback on the event was largely favourable: ‘Very knowledgeable
presenters. Really enjoyed the snack. Informative but not judgemental’. Many
respondents seemed to have particularly appreciated the opportunity to ask
questions and discuss these issues in more detail: ‘The long discussion was
good and allowed a variety of points of view to be aired’.
Funding for this event was provided by a University of
Edinburgh CAHSS Knowledge Exchange and Impact grant, the Wellcome Trust Liminal
Spaces project and Edinburgh School of Law Research Support grant.
Isabel Fletcher's slides from the event can be found here.
Pamela Mason's slides from the event can be found here.
