25% of people have changed their diet to “reduce their carbon footprint”, with 18% cutting down on their intake of red meat, a new study Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found.
The survey of 1,200 people on transport and food behaviour shows that 47% did not see a need to change what they eat in order to mitigate against climate change.
The ESRI said that the most common difficulty among those willing to change their diet (42%) is cost, “despite other evidence that reducing one’s dietary carbon footprint could save consumers money”.
It called on the government to roll out “low-cost policy initiatives to inform the public about cost-effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their diet”.
ESRI
The ESRI report examined awareness of and perceived difficulty with individual behaviour change in relation to two actions associated with high levels of emissions: transport and food choice.
Participants were asked to complete a diary about the previous day and identify the parts which mattered most for their carbon footprint.
46% of participants said that they ate red meat more than one day per week.
People aged under 40 eat beef and lamb slightly less often than those aged over 60, but consume other types of meat more often.
The study found no differences in meat consumption between urban and rural residents.
The ESRI said that people do not yet understand how what they choose to eat affects climate change, with just a quarter mentioning their diet in the survey.
“Any references to food were more likely to be about where it came from or how it was packaged than whether meals contain foods linked to high emissions, such as red meat,” the researchers said.
They said that the lack of awareness is “unsurprising” as there is no provision in the Climate Action Plan for “encouraging sustainable diet shifts.”
The study suggested that providing consumers with information on what to buy and how to prepare food may help to “reduce the volume of high-carbon food consumed”.
Dr. Shane Timmons of the ESRI’s behavioural research unit said that most people recognise the need to reduce their own carbon footprint and many have already made changes to their daily life.
“Knowing which actions make the biggest difference is a big problem, particularly when it comes to food.
“More guidance about how to make affordable, nutritious meals that limit foods with high emissions might help,” he said.
Transport
Almost half (47%) of people reported wanting to reduce their transport emissions, with a quarter having lessened their driving frequency.
One-in-five who travelled by car did not identify driving as a source of carbon emissions.
Over half of people travel by private vehicle five or more days per week, with one-in-four doing so every day and many journeys covering relatively short distances.
When asked about the specific reasons for finding change difficult, 49% pointed to the lack of availability and reliability of public transport, while 23% said that cost is a barrier.
The study, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that people living in a rural area and outside of Dublin drove more frequently.
The researchers urged the government to increase the supply and reliability of accessible public transport.
They added that taxation of emissions and subsidies for climate friendly options may be likely to encourage and facilitate behaviour change, but consideration needs to be given to lower income households.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s ofice of evidence and assessment, said:
“Responding to the climate crises requires collective action to reduce our daily emissions.
“It is clear from this research that much better information is needed to inform people what actions they can take to make the biggest difference to their carbon footprint.
“This research provides valuable insights to help inform the design of both effective climate policies and public information campaigns.”