Recent Study Says Vegetarian Diet Significantly Reduces Carbon Emissions

A new study released this week sheds light on just how much decreased meat consumption would benefit the planet.

Climate Focus, an advisory company in climate policy and law, found that annual agricultural carbon emissions could be reduced by 50 to 90 percent by 2030. Twelve key strategies are detailed for how to shift to a meat-free lifestyle, reduce food waste, and introduce new farming practices.

Charlotte Streck, the director of Climate Focus, spoke to HuffPost Live's Josh Zepps. She said that 70 percent of agricultural emissions are related to cattle for two reasons: a lot of land has to be cleared for grass-fed animals, and because less than four percent of what animals eat goes into meat and milk production. The rest is released as methane, a high-potent greenhouse gas, Streck explained.

While the report isn't imploring everyone to adopt a vegetarian diet, Streck said a vegetarian diet could also help people become healthier therefore reducing the burden on public and private health systems.