Kwasi Kwarteng says he may go VEGAN to help combat climate change

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Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says he may go VEGAN to help combat climate change as he warns ‘lifestyle’ changes will be necessary to hit the Government’s emissions targets

  • Government has pledged to cut emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035
  • Kwasi Kwarteng said target will require people to change parts of their lifestyle
  • He said ‘societal change’ is already happening with people eating less meat
  • Business Secretary said he is considering move to ‘full vegan diet at some point’

By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Kwasi Kwarteng today said he may adopt a vegan diet to play his part in efforts to tackle climate change. 

The Business Secretary said he is considering moving to a ‘full vegan diet at some point’ as he warned lifestyle changes will be needed across society if the Government is to hit its new emissions target.  

Boris Johnson has announced a ‘world-leading’ target for the UK to cut emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035. 

Advice from the Government’s advisory Climate Change Committee said achieving the target will mean changes like ditching gas boilers for home heating, switching to electric cars and lower meat and dairy diets. 

Mr Kwarteng said ‘societal change’ is already happening without the Government having to legislate for it with the number of people reducing their meat intake ‘going up all the time’.           

Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, today said he may adopt a vegan diet to play his part in efforts to tackle climate change

Boris Johnson has announced a 'world-leading' target for the UK to cut emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035. Advice from the Government’s advisory Climate Change Committee said achieving the target will require changes like lower meat and dairy diets

Boris Johnson has announced a ‘world-leading’ target for the UK to cut emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035. Advice from the Government’s advisory Climate Change Committee said achieving the target will require changes like lower meat and dairy diets

What Boris Johnson’s green targets mean for YOUR life and wallet 

Target – Cut meat and dairy consumption by a fifth over the next decade 

Impact – Someone who has meat for every three meals could only do this twice a week under the new plans.

Similarly, the average Briton would need to shave a fifth of the average milk consumption down to 16ml a day – or roughly three teaspoons.

Target – Ban new fossil-fuelled cars – including hybrids – by 2033 

Impact – The average cost of buying a new electric car in the UK is £44,000, according to industry figures.  

Target – Ban the sale of oil-fired boilers by 2028 and gas boilers by 2033; require all homes to be insulated

Impact – Energy efficiency measures – such as improving insulation and installing low carbon boilers – could cost £10,000 per home. 

Target – Stop expanding UK airport capacity and impose a frequent flyer levy with the aim of reducing the number of flights by 15%

Impact – The average Briton currently takes 10 foreign holidays every five years, which would need to reduce to around 8. This is the equivalent of around three foreign holidays every two years. 

The Business Secretary told Bloomberg TV: ‘I’m certainly reducing my meat consumption, not only for environmental reasons but also for health reasons.  

‘I’m eating a lot more fish than I ever did before and maybe I can move to a full vegan diet at some point.’ 

Mr Kwarteng told Times Radio he sees a ‘massive economic opportunity from decarbonisation’. 

But he admitted lifestyles will have to change. 

‘I have been minister for energy and I was very struck when I was minister for energy that people were hugely interested in investing in the UK,’ he said. 

‘I have just been up to Teeside a couple of weeks ago, there has been an announcement of GE investment in wind turbine manufacturing for offshore wind. 

‘So there are enormous economic opportunities. There are challenges in terms of people changing their lifestyle. 

‘But that is happening already without government legislation, I mean the number of people who are vegans who are reducing their meat intake is going up all the time. 

‘And I think there is a lot of societal change that will actually help us and drive the progress to 2035 when we hopefully will hit the 78 per cent reduction target.’  

Mr Johnson was due to address a climate change summit of world leaders this afternoon with the PM expected to tell his counterparts 2021 must be the year countries ‘get serious’ about the issue.  

The virtual summit to galvanise action on the crisis has been convened by US President Joe Biden, who is expected to pledge to at least halve US greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 on 2005 levels.

The UK’s new target to cut emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035 builds on an existing plan to cut emissions by 68 per cent on 1990 levels by 2030, the most ambitious target among leading economies.

The Climate Change Committee said people should be encouraged to cut the amount of meat and dairy they eat, recommending a 20 per cent shift away from those products by 2030.

The Government, which says it is not following all the specific recommendations made by the committee on meeting the 78 per cent target, has said it will maintain people’s freedom of choice in their diet.

Reducing meat and dairy consumption will cut emissions from agriculture and release land to plant trees to help absorb carbon dioxide, according to the committee.