10 tips for lowering your carbon footprint in 2022 with a climatarian diet, such as by eating less beef and more locally sourced produce

Increased carbon emissions are changing our planet, and a climatarian diet focuses on reducing your carbon footprint with plant-based, seasonal local produce

Lowering meat intake and shopping locally can ease your impact on the environment, but experts warn a climate-friendly diet should be practised in moderation

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A climatarian diet focuses on reducing your carbon footprint BY eating more plant-based, locally sourced seasonal produce and less carbon-intensive meat such as beef or lamb. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:15pm, 7 Jan 2022

If your New Year’s resolution is to help combat climate change, the food you eat could make a big difference.

A climatarian diet focuses on reducing your carbon footprint with plant-based, locally sourced produce, according to nutrition app Lifesum.

Increased carbon emissions are drastically changing our planet, including through rising temperatures and sea levels, which contribute to more heatwaves, drought and storms, according to the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency.

A climatarian diet has the potential to not just help the planet but also improve your health, according to Dr Alona Pulde, a family practitioner specialising in nutrition and lifestyle medicine at Lifesum.

Steps like reducing beef consumption can ease your effect on the environment. Photo: Shutterstock

A major component is reducing animal-food consumption, particularly beef, which contributes to higher emissions than plant foods, according to Pulde.

Steps like reducing meat consumption and shopping locally can ease your effect on the environment, but Maggie Gill, a nutritionist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, warns that climate-friendly diets should be practised in moderation.

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