Denmark could be the first European country to introduce a carbon tax on red meat following a recommendation from an influential government think tank.
The Danish Council of Ethics has recommended an initial tax on beef to tackle the “ethical problem of climate change” with a view to extending the tax to all red meats in the future.
The level of tax would be dependent on the climate impact of individual foods. Red meat has a particularly high carbon footprint due to the resource intensive nature of its production with cattle alone accounting for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the council said.
The proposals will now be put forward for consideration by the Danish government.
