A survey by Natuur en Milieu has revealed that 6 in 10 Dutch people are aware of the negative impact meat consumption has on the environment, and believe that in the future, people will eat much less meat. However, for the moment, meat consumption is actually remaining stable.
The average Dutch person eats about 40 kilos of meat each year. This number has not changed since 2005, according to Wageningen University, so it appears that while 62 percent of Dutch people are knowledgeable about the impact of meat on the planet, not many of them are changing their consumption practices. However, since last year, 10 percent more people are aware of the negative impact of meat on the environment, so some progress has definitely been made.
Helft van de Nederlanders vindt iedere dag #vlees eten niet meer van deze tijd. Een derde vindt dat #milieuschade moet worden doorberekend in de prijs van vlees. Onze #Vegamonitor 2019 is uit ??. Lees hier meer: https://t.co/8BOcxao3D9
— Natuur & Milieu (@NatuurenMilieu) November 21, 2019
Translation: The majority of Dutch people don’t think eating meat every day is ‘of our time’. And a third believe that the damage meat causes to the earth should be included in the price.
Why meat is bad for the environment
The figures of Natuur en Milieu show the same, but they believe that the awareness itself is good news, and maybe be a sign that things are slowly on their way to changing. The organisation itself is in favour of reduced meat consumption because of its harmful impact on the environment. For example, it takes 5 kilos of vegetable feed to produce a kilo of meat. This means, in practice, that a lot of land is needed to produce not a lot of food. Furthermore, cows emit methane, a greenhouse gas that causes far more warming than carbon dioxide.
De norm ten aanzien van vlees eten verandert. Het merendeel van de mensen beseft zich dat een dag geen vlees eten, helpt voor het klimaat en de natuur! #flexitarier
Lees ons onderzoek: https://t.co/5H6HazD7XM https://t.co/YYkCIWNTFB
— Natuur & Milieu (@NatuurenMilieu) November 21, 2019
Translation: The norms around eating meat are changing. The majority of people are aware that not eating meat one day a week helps the climate and nature.
3 in 10 Dutch people want higher taxes on meat
Natuur en Milieu also found that a third of Dutch people believe that the damaging consequences of meat should be accounted for in its price, for example through a greenhouse gas tax. We have seen Dutch people become more vocal about their concern for the environment in recent months, so it’s not surprising that some are calling for stronger measures in this survey.
Do you think Dutch people will be eating less meatloaf in the future? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature image: RitaE/Pixabay