Japan proposes plant-based meat consumption to reduce carbon emissions

The Japanese government proposed using meat alternatives such as soybeans and other plant-based ingredients to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while stressing the need to reform lifestyles.

In its 2021 white paper on the environment, the Japanese government noted that substitute meat products cause less carbon dioxide emissions than meat during the manufacturing process.

The proposal is per Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's declaration last October that Japan will try to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The report stated that CO2 emissions occur during food production, processing, and disposal, and in developing farmlands from forest areas.

It added that meat production especially causes high levels of carbon dioxide emissions through the production and transport of feed, and the livestock's release of methane.

The report noted an increasing number of restaurants and convenience stores offering meat alternatives.

The white paper also emphasized the need to reduce carbon emissions related to the production, consumption, and disposal of clothes.