New research from Trinity College Dublin has found that switching meatballs made from Irish beef for vegetarian alternatives could cut carbon emissions by 90 per cent.
So is it time we all went meat-free to save the planet? Making the case for plant-based alternatives on Newstalk Breakfast was John Carmody, Founder of Animal Rights Action Network:
"We've been saying this since the eighties, screaming it from the rooftops and outside of butchers: You can't be a meat-eating environmentalist.
"I think it's a wake-up call for anyone sitting down to breakfast with sausage and rashers in front of them – you need to get rid of them for good.
"The reality is there's no escaping the climate crisis that we're in right now. We can no longer look away, as consumers, from what we're putting in our trolleys or putting on our plates.
"This report has actually come at a good time, believe it or not, that we're talking about this Climate Bill.
"Eamon Ryan needs to pull up his socks and bring us a Bill that has teeth. That will move us forward and bring us out the other side because there's really no future with meat."
When asked does he really think people will abstain from meat for the planet, Carmody replied:
"The reality is going vegan these days is as simple as choosing a different oil in the supermarket. There are loads of brilliant vegan options in shops now.
"Even just try to reduce your meat, that's my advice. Overall it's a good direction we're going in. We'll all benefit as a result."
Main image: This quinoa-based vegetarian burger is adapted from the just-released cookbook by Brooks Headley, ''Superiority Burger Cookbook,'' named for the chef's Manhattan restaurant. (Credit Image: © Abel Uribe/TNS via ZUMA Wire)
