Would you pay a tax on meat to help curb climate change?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-10-03 05:00

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Meat taxes and other livestock emissions regulations may be feasible, acceptable and effective, argue German and UK scientists. They highlight the lack of existing regulations to cut agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, which they attribute to politicians' fears that voters will quickly turn against them if the price of meat goes up. Europe's 'Green Deal' policies, which introduced carbon pricing, do not include or affect agriculture, for example. They say that to meet climate targets, some form of emissions pricing is needed in agriculture, and that it may be possible to win the public over. They suggest using money raised from taxes to subsidise low-income households or climate-friendly foods, taxing large companies while protecting small producers, taxing meat based on how carbon-intensive it is to produce, and highlighting the health benefits of eating less meat to consumers, as well as the environmental benefits of reduced agriculture.