'A burger and a coke' and other environmental problems: Reflections on diet and the environmental crisis

Most environmental organizations do not focus attention on the impact of diet on the environment. However, my findings as spelled out in this article indicate that dietary changes, especially reduction of beef consumption, could have dramatic and heretofore unforeseen environmental implications ranging from local issues of fertilizer and pesticide use to global sustainability. Using illustrations from American and Australian practices, I trace a wide variety of environmental and nutritional impacts of beef consumption and conclude that a burger and a coke is an outmoded lunch for a humanoid on Planet Earth today.