A single kilogram of conventionally farmed beef requires approximately 15,400 litres of water to produce, the equivalent of around 100 standard bathtubs, and generates approximately 99 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of driving an average car about 250 miles.

The figures come from two of the most carefully constructed peer-reviewed datasets in environmental science. The water footprint estimate is from Mesfin Mekonnen and Arjen Hoekstra of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, who published their global analysis in the peer-reviewed journal Ecosystems in 2012. The carbon footprint estimate is from Joseph Poore at [...] The post A single kilogram of conventionally farmed beef requires approximately 15,400 litres of water to produce, the equival