Lord Stern, the economist behind the Stern Report, the landmark paper that linked economic impact to climate change, today urged individuals around the world to go Easy on the Meat to save the planet.

Now we're delighted that he has raised this debate but sadly much of the coverage, particularly in The Times, has unhelpfully sought to polarise his position as "anti meat" and consequently raised a storm of protest from meat lovers. This forced Lord Stern to issue this clarification:

"I think that once people understand the great risks that climate change poses, they will naturally want to choose products and services that cause little or no emissions of greenhouse gases, which means 'low-carbon consumption'.

This will apply across the board, including electricity, heating, transport and food. A diet that relies heavily on meat production results in higher emissions than a typical vegetarian diet. Different individuals will make different choices. However, the debate about climate change should not be dumbed down to a single slogan, such as 'give up meat to save the planet'.

Green Thing could not agree more - and believes that moderation rather than absolution may be a more effective way to encourage the behaviour change that is clearly required.  

So please check out Easy on the Meat for some inspiration and do the Green Thing.

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