Students at the University of Oxford have voted to ban red meat as part of a sustainability drive to fight climate change.
The student union at Oxford University have voted to ban red meat from university-catered events and outlets. Passed with 31 votes for and 9 against, the new motion is just one part of the prestigious university’s sustainability drive.
Oxford University is on a mission to slash its carbon emissions by 50% before 2030. Students hope that the decision to ban beef and lamb will help the university meet this target. However, the new rule will not affect college butteries who reportedly have their own food policies.
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‘Lack of leadership’
The motion read as follows: “As the U.K’s premier university, the nation looks to Oxford for leadership. But Oxford has shown a lack of leadership in addressing climate change.
“The banning of beef and lamb at university-catered events and outlets is a feasible and effective strategy to help the university meet its revised 2030 goal.
“A change at the university level will open the gates for similar change at the college level.”
The approval of this move to ban red meat is a huge step forward in a global shift to more plant-based diets, and we can’t wait to see what effect it has at the university.
Climate rivals
Last year, rival university Cambridge revealed that they had managed to slash carbon emissions per kilogram of food by 33% and reduce land use by 28% by replacing red meat with plant-based products.
Similarly to Oxford, this move was part of a bigger sustainability drive. Other measures included ditching ‘unsustainable’ fish and plastic bottles, in addition to increasing availability of vegan options.
“It is hard to imagine any other interventions that could yield such dramatic benefits in so short a span of time,” said Andrew Balmford, Professor of Conservation Science at the University of Cambridge.
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