Push for beef ban gathers academic momentum

Hamburgers could soon be things of the past at university canteens across the land, as a campaign to ban beef because of its climate impact gathers momentum.

Universities in the UK are increasingly being lobbied to kick beef out in an effort to help tackle the climate crisis. The push for beef-free campuses comes as a much-discussed report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released on 8 August, warns that meat from ruminant animals such as cows is “the single food with the greatest impact on the environment”.

In a major PR victory for the movement, Goldsmiths, University of London, announced on 12 August that it would be banning the sale of beef from campus food outlets. “I truly believe we face a defining moment in global history and Goldsmiths now stands shoulder to shoulder with other organisations willing to call the alarm and take urgent action to cut carbon use,” said Frances Corner, warden of Goldsmiths, announcing the ban along with a slew of other climate initiatives such as a switch to clean energy.