The Food System Is Awful for the Climate. It Doesn’t Have to Be

A steak at a market sells at an explicit price per pound. But it also has a much higher implicit price: It took energy, land, and water to grow the feed that nourished the cow. As that cow grew, it belched methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Still more emissions arose from shipping the meat to market.

With an ever-expanding population—and a ballooning middle class consuming more meat—humanity is spewing ever-more planet-warming gasses in its quest to feed itself.