A comprehensive study mapped the carbon footprint of meat consumption across all U.S. cities, revealing significant regional variation and emphasizing the substantial environmental impact of the entire supply chain, not just transportation.

Interestingly, the research found little correlation between per capita meat consumption and emissions, highlighting that production practices and supply chain logistics are the main drivers of the carbon hoofprint.

For example, Los Angeles's beef supply chain spans multiple states, illustrating how regional agricultural practices and transportation contribute to urban emissions, underscoring the importance of understanding rural-urban linkages.

This work underscores the urgency of rethinking food systems as a vital part of climate mitigation, framing dietary choices as systemic levers that connect urban and rural environmental impacts for a more resilient, low-carbon future.

The study emphasizes that reducing beef intake in favor of lower-emission meats like chicken can yield climate benefits comparable to major household energy improvements, making dietary shifts a potent climate action tool.

The detailed supply chain mapping provided by the research can inform policy decisions and inspire innovative solutions, such as supporting rural farms in adopting cleaner technologies to reduce environmental impacts.

The research advocates for increased urban-rural cooperation, including city incentives for sustainable farming practices, to lower overall carbon footprints without relying solely on dietary restrictions.

It highlights the importance of understanding urban-rural teleconnections, where city emissions are influenced by distant rural landscapes, calling for policies that address these interconnected supply chains.

Effective urban climate action requires high-resolution supply chain mapping, promoting policies that support sustainable diets, urban food innovations, and rural production improvements like silvopastoral systems.

Policy scenarios suggest that reducing meat waste, shifting from beef to poultry, and adopting meatless days could cut urban hoofprints by up to 51%, offering cost-effective strategies for decarbonizing diets.

Reducing meat consumption, especially beef, and halving food waste could lower the overall carbon hoofprint by approximately 123 to 142 metric tons of CO2 per person.

Using the FoodS3 model, the study reconstructed meat supply chains covering 93% of the U.S. population, linking production and consumption regions with high spatial resolution to assess greenhouse gas impacts.

The FoodS3 platform analyzed supply chain emissions over eight years, illustrating how urban areas are interconnected with rural agricultural regions through complex livestock supply chains, emphasizing the importance of understanding these linkages.