Canada's 2030 climate targets achievable if Canadians move to more plant-based diet

TORONTO, - As concerns grow about Canada's ability to hit its 2030 climate targets, World Animal Protection, in conjunction with Navius Research, is releasing a new report that shows if Canadians move from a high-meat consumption diet to a low-meat consumption one (a 50% reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050), the impacts on greenhouse gas emissions would be significant enough to put Canada back on track to meet its 2030 and 2050 climate targets. 

"The findings of this report should be a wakeup call for governments and Canadians alike," said Lynn Kavanagh, Farming Campaign Manager with World Animal Protection Canada. "Our diets are largely something that we can control and by moving to a more sustainable plant-based diet, we can all do our part in achieving a net zero society."

The Government of Canada has an important role to play in supporting Canadians to adopt more planet-friendly diets. Campaigns to promote the Canada Food Guide, for example, which is largely plant-based, and acknowledging animal agriculture as a major source of GHG emissions, are easy actions the government can take to start the transition towards sustainable eating. 

This research is the first of its kind as it quantifies the true emissions from Canada's animal agriculture sector. Canada's emissions reporting accounts for emissions from feed production, fertilizer production and fertilizer use across various sectors, while these emissions should be attributed to animal agriculture to understand the true impact of this sector. 

The report has also found if Canada's future animal consumption is lower, it will cost 11% less for the economy to comply with the 2030 emissions target compared to a future in which animal consumption remains at current levels. For the agriculture sector, that means $6.3 billion lower in 2030 and $12.5 billion lower in 2050.

World Animal Protection's Animal-sourced food consumption and Canada's emissions targets report uses a customized version of Navius Research's existing energy economy model, gTech, which simulates the effects of energy and climate policy on technology adoption, energy use, GHG emissions and the economy. The model was used to explore the impacts of shifting consumer food consumption patterns and their impacts on Canada's climate goals.

The impacts of meat consumption and animal agriculture on our climate are why World Animal Protection launched its Plan Meatless Better campaign this summer.

Canadians can go to planbetter.ca to answer a few questions about their eating habits and receive a personalized and customized plan and set of recipes tailored to their preferences.

Experts predict that without urgent and drastic shifts in global meat consumption, agriculture will consume the entire world's carbon budget necessary for keeping global temperature rises under 2°C by 2050.