Plant-based meat is by far the best climate investment, report says

Investments in plant-based alternatives to meat lead to far greater reductions in global warming emissions than other green investments, according to one of the world's largest consultancies.< /p>

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report found that for every dollar invested in improving and scaling up the production of meat alternatives and dairy resulted in three times the greenhouse gas reductions compared to investing in green. cement technology, seven times more than green buildings and 11 times more than zero-emission cars.

Investments in plant-based alternatives to meat have had this impact high on emissions due to the large difference between the greenhouse gases emitted during the production of conventional meat and dairy products and during the cultivation of plants. Beef, for example, generates six to 30 times more emissions than tofu.

Investment in alternative proteins, including fermented products and beef cell base, has grown from $1bn (£830m) in 2019 to $5bn in 2021, BCG said. Alternatives account for 2% of meat, eggs and dairy products sold, but will reach 11% in 2035 based on current growth trends, according to the report. This would reduce emissions by an amount almost equivalent to global aviation production. But BCG said meat alternatives could grow much faster with advances in technology resulting in better products, larger-scale production and regulatory changes making it easier to market and sell.

"Wide adoption of alternative proteins can play a vital role in the fight against climate change," said BCG partner Malte Clausen. "We call it the untapped climate opportunity - you get more impact of your investment in alternative proteins than in any other sector of the economy."

"There has been a lot of investment in electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels, which is great and helpful in reducing emissions, but we haven't seen comparable investments yet [in alternative proteins], even though they are increasing rapidly,” he said. clear. "If you really care about impact as an investor, this is an area you absolutely need to understand."

Meat and dairy production uses 83% of agricultural land and causes 60% of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, but provides only 18% of calories and 37% of protein. Shifting the human diet from meat to plants means fewer forests destroyed for growing pasture and fodder and fewer emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane produced by cattle and sheep.

< p class="dcr-xry7m2">Europe and North America will reach “meat peak” by 2025, when conventional meat consumption will begin to decline, according to a separate BCG report in 2021. Another firm consultancy AT Kearney predicted in 2019 that most meat products people will consume in 2040 will not come from slaughtered animals.

Scientists have concluded that avoiding meat and dairy is the best way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet and that deep cuts in meat consumption in rich countries are essential to ending the climate crisis. The Project Drawdown group, which assesses climate solutions, places plant-based diets in the top three options out of nearly 100.

"Alternative proteins were only given than a fraction of the investments deployed in other sectors," the BCG report said. "Buildings received 4.4 times more mitigation residents...