ABSTRACT

Aviation's contribution to total greenhouse gas emissions is still relatively small. Politicians are hugely reluctant to incur substantial political risk where the upside in addressing the challenge is not as yet as clear as it needs to be, let alone for most of their voters. Policy makers will have to focus single-mindedly on one simple objective: to reduce per capita meat consumption. There's an increasing amount of good public health research showing that even 70g per day may not be a sufficiently low baseline. In its own climate change strategy, the National Health Service (NHS) has started to think through the implications of all this in terms of hospital food: The actions needed to develop a more sustainable food system in the NHS, as well as maintaining nutritional value, include the use of seasonally adjusted menus, increased use of sustainably sourced fish, and a reduction in the reliance on meat, dairy and eggs.