Beef alone accounts for 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions (Picture: Alamy/Getty Images/Metro)

Denmark is considering taxing meat to help combat climate change.

The proposal, put forward by the Danish Council of Ethics, means there will be an initial tax on beef.

This would then be extended to all meats in the future, varying according to how environmentally damaging they are.

Why is meat bad for the environment? Animal agriculture is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, it is responsible for 18 per cent of all emissions worldwide. This is more than the exhaust emissions from all forms of transport worldwide. In fact, cattle by itself is the source of 10 per cent of all of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as being a huge waste of water – at least 43,000 litres of fresh water is required to produce just one kilogram of beef.

‘Danes are ethically obligated to change their eating habits,’ council spokesman Mickey Gjerris said in a statement.


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He added that relying on consumers to reduce their own meat consumption ‘will not be effective’.

‘An effective response to climate-damaging foods that will also contribute to raising awareness of climate change must be united, which requires that society sends a clear signal through regulation,’ he said.

Almost the entire ethics council supports the red meat tax – 14 of its 17 members back the idea.

The proposal will now be put forward for consideration by the Danish government.