A new report by EAT-Lancet Commission (EAT 2.0) explains how we are eating global warming, and what to do about it. This is the second go around by the Commission. An earlierreport in 2019EAT 1.0 was met by fierce meat-lover opposition to EATs credo: Eat less meat and more plants.
Regardless of fierce opposition, after all EAT doesnt completely eliminate meat from your diet, rather, the rationale behind EATs credo carries solid logic, and its superbly helpful as a control mechanism, hopefully modulating excessive global heat, which has become a systemic problem for all life on Earth, as a similar issue reigns across the globe with ocean water turning into a gigantic hot tub, disrupting, destroying marine life, as sea surface temperature in August 2025 hit 20C, a record for the ERSST data base going back to 1854. Global warming is hitting all aspects of humanitys easy living off nature.
Industrial agriculture and burning fossil fuel for energy are major contributors to greenhouse gases and global warming. In that regard, the climate realism school of thought, which has been adopted over the past two years by the fossil fuel industry and corporations across the board, claims we need to accept climate change for what it is, live with it, adapt to it git a life. However, the global warming issue has grown into a monster thats bordering on complete takedown of major ecosystems supportive of thousands of years of the foundation of civilization, no laughing matter, in which the entire climate system re-engineers into a very bad dream, a worse-than-ever nightmare come true. Senior respected climate scientists claim ecosystem tipping points are on the verge of collapse. Oops what to do? Is SRM (Solar Radiation Mgmt.) an answer, or is it Frankenstein in a sheeps skin?
According to the EAT 2.0 report: Food systems account for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, driven largely byanimal farming, which is a major source of methane and a drain on land and water resources. Even if the world transitions away from fossil fuels, food alonecould pushtemperatures past the 1.5C threshold needed to limit warming. The onus falls disproportionately on the wealthy: The richest 30% of the worlds population are responsible for more than 70% of food-related pressures. (Agnieszka de Sousa, Dinner Without a Side of Global Warming, Bloomberg/Green, Oct 4, 2025)
EATs prescription is not a radical concept. Its called planetary health diet and provides for a mixture of flexibility and does not push veganism as a worldly solution. Animal-sourced foods are optional and recommend moderate use guided by the 1+1 principle of one dairy serving and one other animal protein daily. One goal of the planetary health diet is cutting greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 15%.
However, pushback is almost certain to overwhelm EATs best intentions. As things stand, global meat consumption continues to grow, and alternative protein is weakening in popularity. Plus, a new kid on the block threatens social acceptance of EAT as the manosphere and kissing cousin MAGA lather their chops on red meat. Indisputably, veganism doesnt score well with right-wing politics, which is experiencing a worldwide renaissance. EAT 2.0 is thus up against powerful odds even as its prescription for better personal health and a cooler planet are commendable-plus.
All of which comes full circle back to the problem of climate change. Of course its real; just check nightly news broadcasts for the latest in climate system destructiveness. Ask anybody whos been around decades, never seen anything like it. Of course its real, an email message from a 45-year wilderness guide who has logged over 5,000 miles canoeing found a disturbing number of dead trees amongst far-reaching loss of insect life in several regions as the wild turns still. Of course its real; climate change chasesproperty insurance companiesout of some regions of the country. Of course its real; it hammers the Midwest with pounding torrential rains/instant flooding and punishing hail that spikes up property insurance rates. Of course its real; flash floods, e.g., Texas 2025, becoming a regular feature. Of course its real; within just the past two weeks the European Union declared: EU Climate Breakdown.
A crescendo of historic proportions is brewing, on one side fossil fuel interests push more oil and gas production and pooh-pooh climate mitigation measures and turn up noses at sissy planetary health diets. On the other side, climate scientists across the globe are warning, stop CO2 and all greenhouse gases or suffer a loss of centuries of natures support network as oceans also rise to the occasion in high fashion. The options are to live with chaos and fossil fuels or to live with nature and green solutions. There is no time to waste; the world must choose: (a.) Steak or Beyond Meat (b) Vivid Green or Smokestack Black.
Yet, ecosystems throughout the planet, e.g., (1) Greenland (2) Arctic ice mass (3) Tibetan glaciers (4) the Amazon rainforest, have been vastly altered by the human footprint, aka: the Anthropocene (Age of Humans) to such an extreme that nature is turning lopsidedly dangerous. By all appearances, something big must be done very, very soon to stem this increasingly out-of-control climate system or simply toss in the towel on massive worldwide mitigation and bear the burden of a slashing climate system that upends every source of life support.
But the problem is even bigger than that because the costs factor to right the ship of state is humongous at$7 trillion per year installing/building renewablesto achieve Net Zero by 2050. Last year (2024) was a record year for renewable installations globally at approximately $2 trillion. Thats a shortfall of $5 trillion. Therefore, only an all-in all-world commitment can maybe solve this. But the all-in world cant even come together to stop the utter insanity of slaughter of innocent people with the highest number of countries engaged in armed conflict since World War II according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo; where does that leave worldwide prioritizing of $7 trillion/yr for Net Zero/2050?
Our entire infrastructure & civilization are based around climate that no longer exists. (John Marsham, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds)
This article was originally published on Oct. 10, 2025Counterpunch
Robert Hunziker
