A meat-centered diet

Animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuels. A recent study shows that in an average American diet, beef consumption creates 1,984 pounds of CO2e annually. Replacing beef with plants would reduce that figure 96 percent, bringing it down to just 73 pounds of CO2e.

In order to accommodate the 70 billion animals raised annually for human consumption, a third of the planet’s ice-free land surface, as well as nearly sixteen percent of global freshwater, is devoted to growing livestock. Furthermore, a third of worldwide grain production is used to feed livestock. Cattle are by far the biggest source of emissions from animal agriculture.

— from Climate Nexus