Will We Still Eat Beef in 50 Years?

Humanity’s taste for beef comes with a massive toll, arguably larger than almost any other sector: Ranching has displaced millions of hectares of tropical forest this century, particularly in the Amazon, where a 2008 study estimates it’s responsible for 80% of deforestation. The loss of forests contributes vast amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere and huge declines in biodiversity — indeed, livestock production in general has been labeled the largest threat to biodiversity globally. And cattle themselves emit nitrous oxide and methane, greenhouse gases that are more potent trappers of heat than CO2.