Since 1961 the world's total meat supply has quadrupled from 71 million tons to 284 tons, and per capita consumption has more than doubled-rising twice as fast in the developing world, according to The New York Times. While American consumption is steady (about eight ounces per day, roughly twice the global average), there is growing concern about the fact that we process-that is grow and kill-10 billion animals a year, accounting for 15 percent of the world's total. The catch is this: Processing animals is connected to energy use, and reducing meat-eating by 20 percent would have the comparable effect of everyone switching from a standard sedan to a Prius. It all comes back to the carbon footprint, doesn't it?
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