Episode 27: Nicholas Carter on Combating Climate Change with a Diet Change

In this episode of the Plant-Based Canada podcast we interview ecologist and co-founder of PlantBasedData.org, Nicholas Carter. He is the Communications Lead for a Canadian Centre for Climate Services data hub & serves as an advisory board member to several food- and environment-focused organizations. 

He's also a science writer on the interconnections between agriculture and planetary health. He completed a Master's degree in Environmental Practice from Royal Roads University, where his research focused on the global greenhouse gas emissions that are attributed to animal agriculture.

Nicolas will be speaking at our upcoming virtual Canadian plant based nutrition conference on may 28th and 29th.

 In this episode we discuss:

• How our food systems contribute to carbon and methane emissions
• Water and land use required for animal agriculture
• Environmental runoffs and dead zones
• Calories in versus calories out: why animal agriculture is not an efficient system
• Big meat disinformation campaigns
• The outcome of the COP26 Climate Conference
• The lack of evidence behind the holistic grazing movement
• Alternative farming practices versus traditional 
• The impact of industrial fishing on the oceans and sea life 
• How a shift to plant-based diets can help ameliorate many environmental issues we face today

Socials/Links:

PlantBasedData.org
Twitter
Instagram
LinkTree

Studies/Articles:

• Food is responsible for 25-42% of all global emissions 
• Animal Agriculture's contributions could be as high as 37% 
• Animal agriculture & methane 
• The key to reducing biodiversity loss
• Today, only 4% of mammals are wild animals, 34% are humans, & 62% are livestock
• Food systems have caused: 70% of biodiversity loss on land, 50% biodiversity loss in water, & 80% global deforestation
• Human impact on oceans
• Tyson has spent double what Exxon has on political campaigns
• Chicken: calories in, calories out
• Livestock exclusion increased abundance and diversity of animals
• A critical review of Allan Savory's grazing method 
• Beef cattle use ~60% of the world’s agricultural land but account for less than 2% of global calories & 5% of global protein consumed
• Oxford University: Grazed & Confused
• Beyond Burger water, land, energy usage

This Podcast was hosted and edited by Clinton Stamatovich