Table 1.
Environmental burden caused globally by production of 100 grams of protein from different sources
| Source | Land use, m2 | CO2-equivalents, kg | Freshwater withdrawals, L | Eutrophying emissions, g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grains | 4.6 | 2.7 | ||
| − Maize | 3.1 | n.a. | 227 | 4.2 |
| − Rice | 3.9 | n.a. | 3167 | 49.4 |
| − Wheat and rye | 3.2 | n.a. | 531 | 5.9 |
| − Oatmeal | 5.8 | n.a. | 371 | 8.6 |
| Tofu | 2.2 | 1.98 | 93 | 3.9 |
| Peas | 3.4 | 0.44 | 178 | 3.4 |
| Groundnuts | 3.5 | 1.23 | 708 | 5.4 |
| Other legumes | 7.2 | 0.84 | 204 | 8.0 |
| Nuts | 7.9 | 0.26 | 2531 | 11.7 |
| Milk | 27.1 | 9.5 | 1904 | 32.3 |
| Cheese | 39.8 | 10.82 | 2539 | 44.6 |
| Dairy herd | 21.9 | 16.87 | 1375 | 185.1 |
| Beef herd | 163.6 | 49.89 | 728 | 151.2 |
| Pig meat | 10.7 | 7.61 | 1110 | 47.2 |
| Lamb and mutton | 184.8 | 19.85 | 901 | 48.5 |
| Poultry meat | 7.1 | 5.7 | 381 | 28.1 |
| Fish, farmed | 3.7 | 5.98 | 1619 | 103.1 |
| Prawns, farmed | 2.0 | 18.19 | 2380 | 153.8 |
| Eggs | 5.7 | 4.21 | 521 | 19.6 |
Data from Ritchie and Roser (2020)9 Abbreviations: n.a., not available.