Austrians have considerably more influence through their diet than is often assumed, says Laura Maria Wallnöfer. One important lever would be reducing beef consumption. Last year, meat consumption in Austria rose by 0.4 kilograms to 58.0 kilograms per person, according to Statistics Austria. Of that, nearly ten kilograms of beef and veal were consumed domestically.

Belém — Having schnitzel on your plate less often would be one of the simplest ways for individuals to do something good for the climate — and for themselves. "It's not about everyone becoming vegetarian. It's enough if everyone simply reduces their meat consumption a little," said Laura Maria Wallnöfer, researcher in sustainable consumer behaviour at BOKU Vienna, on the sidelines of the COP30 World Climate Conference in Belém.

The researcher, who has come to Brazil as an observer for the Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA), focuses much of her work on individual scope for action in the fight against global warming. And Austrians have considerably more influence through their purchasing and consumption behaviour than is sometimes recognised by the public, says Wallnöfer — particularly when it comes to diet.

Meat consumption on the rise… Read more at derstandard.at