A study from the University of Cambridge suggests that Catholics can significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions if they practice meat-free Fridays.
The study found that after bishops in Wales and England called on parishioners to forgo meat in 2011, one-quarter of them adopted the practice and saved over 55,000 tons of CO2 a year. Researchers say that in terms of CO2 emissions, this is equivalent to 82,000 fewer people taking a return trip from London to New York over the course of a year.
“The Catholic Church is very well placed to help mitigate climate change, with more than one billion followers around the world,” said lead author Shaun Larcom, a professor in Cambridge’s Department of Land Economy. “Pope Francis has already highlighted the moral imperative for action on the climate emergency, and the important role of civil society in achieving sustainability through lifestyle change.”
The practice of meat-free Fridays dates back to Pope Nicholas I’s declaration in the ninth century. The practice by Catholics in the U.S. led to the invention of McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich by Cincinnati, OH, franchise owner Lou Groen. The study noted if U.S. Catholics adopted the practice, the environmental benefits would likely be 10 times those of the United Kingdom.
