At a Time of Climate Crisis: Why did the EPA delete a tweet about eating meat?

At a time of climate crisis it’s time to factor sustainability into dietary guidelines

MaREI researcher Dr Hannah Daly at ERI, University College Cork wrote an article for her monthly column for the Irish Times about  ‘Why did the EPA delete a tweet about eating meat?’. 

I wouldn’t have expected that in 2023, a year that saw multiple climate records topple, I’d spend a column defending a tweet by the Environmental Protection Agency advising people to “reduce your red meat consumption slowly”. But here we are.

The real story is not the substance of the tweet, whose message was mild relative to the urgency of action required.

The global food system accounts for between a quarter and a third of greenhouse gas emissions, and drives deforestation and habitat loss by taking up half of habitable land. The most impactful dietary changes – cutting back on animal products, especially beef and lamb, and cutting food waste – are well-established scientifically.

The EPA apparently deleted this tweet in the face of pressure from farming organisations; not because it was incorrect.

Read the full article here.