UN says eat less meat to curb global warming

People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, says the world's leading authority on global warming.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further.

His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning.

Diet change is important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

What’s even more worrisome is that the agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century.