Would Vegetarianism Save the Planet?

I have argued that if more people were vegetarian, we could free up agricultural land to grow food directly for human consumption, rather than growing food for animals that are then slaughtered for food. Tim Harford has noted that there is another beneficial environmental consequence of a higher level of vegetarianism: It would lead to a lower level of greenhouse gas emissions from the animals that are being raised for food. Even more importantly, there is an enormous environmental cost associated with transporting meat from slaughterhouse to market. Think about that the next time you order a Big Mac.