How much does eating meat affect nations’ greenhouse gas emissions?

New data show the climate costs of the eating habits of different countries

a customer surveys the meat section in a grocery store

The many steps involved in growing food and getting it to the grocery store and onto your plate contribute, at various levels, to greenhouse gas emissions.

Mario Tama/Getty Images Plus

The food we eat is responsible for an astounding one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities, according to two comprehensive studies published in 2021.