“We have to stop destroying the planet as we feed ourselves,” a World Bank official said, as red meat and dairy drive CO2 emissions.

Cows and milk are out, chicken and broccoli are in — if the World Bank has its way, that is.

In a new paper, the international financial lender suggests repurposing the billions rich countries spend to boost CO2-rich products like red meat and dairy for more climate-friendly options like poultry, fruits and vegetables. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to save the planet from climate change, the bank argues.

The politically touchy recommendation — sure to make certain conservatives and European countries apoplectic — is one of several suggestions the World Bank offers to cut climate-harming pollution from the agricultural and food sectors, which are responsible for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper comes at a diplomatically strategic moment, as countries signed on to the Paris Agreement — the global pact calling to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — prepare to update their climate plans by late 2025.

    • @[email protected]
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      97 months ago

      Same! Well, TBH chicken often tastes gross to me (grew up with a parent that thought ‘boil it in maybe-salted water’ was the way to go). But there’s plenty of non-beef options! Tofu, turkey, textured vegetable protein, it’s all good. (TVP’s great for things like sauces, where you just need the texture of ground beef, but the other flavors would drown it out anyway). Even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich makes for an easy work lunches.

      • @SpaceNoodle
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        117 months ago

        Ground turkey is actually a surprisingly good ground beef substitute in a number of dishes.

        • @0110010001100010
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          7 months ago

          We use ground turkey almost all the time over ground beef. It’s great in chili, tacos, meat sauce, lasagna, etc. The only time I use ground beef anymore is when I get it free from my folks (they always support a local 4h kid and purchase part of a cow).

        • BeardedBlaze
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          37 months ago

          We’ve been using ground turkey instead of ground beef for couple of years now, never had a dish where I missed the beef.

        • @Buddahriffic
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          17 months ago

          I’ve been using ground pork, chicken, and turkey instead of beef for the most part for a while now. I’ve noticed that when I do use beef, it’s kinda gross compared to the others. Like it can get a bit of a BO smell to it.

          It made me realize I don’t even really like beef. I’ve mostly gravitated to instances of it that grind it up and mix with a bunch of spices and stuff like meatballs and burgers. The beef flavour itself isn’t really pleasant, I find.

          • @SpaceNoodle
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            27 months ago

            Well, you might just be buying trash beef.

            I still enjoy beef, I’m just eating far less of it than before.

            • @Buddahriffic
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              27 months ago

              It is possible, but even if there is beef I’d enjoy now, at this point I’d rather go on believing there isn’t. I don’t think I’m missing much.

      • _haha_oh_wow_
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        97 months ago

        Grilled, baked, and fried are all good ways to try chicken but boiled? Damn, no thanks.

        • @[email protected]
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          47 months ago

          TIL some people never heard of poached chicken. It’s great if you poach it in really strong stock, comes out really moist. Great for shredding or chunks in salad

          • @[email protected]
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            57 months ago

            I think the important bit is “maybe-salted water”. My same parent didn’t like garlic, so I didn’t get exposed to it (or most other seasonings) until college.

            Not to worry. My partner is trying to make up for lost time keeps incorporating actually-seasoned chicken into meals. I’m to the point where “well, it tastes good when he does it, but I’ll still not cook chicken for myself or order it in a restaurant”.

          • _haha_oh_wow_
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            17 months ago

            Yeah, boiling a chicken sounds nasty as hell, but I guess if you did it right it could be good. Closest thing I’ve heard of is chicken soup lol

      • @[email protected]
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        87 months ago

        TBH chicken often tastes gross to me (grew up with a parent that thought ‘boil it in maybe-salted water’ was the way to go).

        Funny, this is why most people hate veggies

        • @[email protected]
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          47 months ago

          I also suspect an overexposure to canned veggies is also to blame. Canned veggies can be soggy-gross. I really like frozen veggies, though. They fill the same “lasts nearly forever” niche, but with a better texture.

          Oh, and kale can go stuff itself. Kale and collard greens are the only two leafy greens I just can’t stand.

          • @[email protected]
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            17 months ago

            Canned green beans are great. I love them mushy, hate them crunchy. No idea why.

            Frozen veggies are good, but they don’t always cook the same. Frozen Brussels sprouts fry up great, but I tried roasting them on the grill last night and they just turned mushy. Not sure if it was them or me, but I’ve done fresh ones on the grill just fine.

            • @[email protected]
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              7 months ago

              I’m also a fan of canned green beans, but only the french sliced ones. I think that helps with the stringiness you can sometimes get. Oh! Creamed corn is also a lovely comfort food for me.

            • mynachmadarch
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              17 months ago

              Don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s them.

              They fried okay because the oil physically alters the brussel sprout by more evenly distributing heat and then driving water out, firming it up.

              When things are frozen though the water in their cells expand and can rip themselves apart. When you grilled them, these weaker cell walls didn’t have any chemical or physical reactions firming them up. They just sort of steam themselves and go limp.

          • @[email protected]
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            17 months ago

            Kale, IMO, has to be cooked. I love a good roasted/destemmed kale tossed onto just about anything, but raw kale can fuck right off.

        • @AA5B
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          37 months ago

          It’s kind of funny that I’m very open to all sorts of new goods but still “traumatized” by the overcooked slop I got served as vegetables as a kid. Who knew spinach wasn’t this black slimy stuff from a can, but can be a tasty leafy vegetable?

        • Th4tGuyII
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          37 months ago

          Yeah, my parents took this approach with veggies too. Luckily it didn’t put me off completely, but I can certainly see how it could.

          It’s a shame how many of my parent’s generation just don’t know how to cook anything that isn’t boil it in a pot until it’s soft - it isn’t like the other, tastier methods are difficult or take longer either.