Meat and Climate Change: A study on environmental organizations’ approach in addressing meat consumption in relation to climate change with a focus on Norway

Abstract: This thesis addresses the relationship between meat consumption and climate change. Its purpose is to bring attention to the findings of the FAO report Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options (2006); i.e. that the production of animal derived foods is a significant contributing factor to climate change. The main focus of the thesis is investigating how environmental organizations address meat consumption in a climate change perspective and the underlying reasons for their chosen approach. Furthermore, I compare men and women’s habits and attitudes towards meat consumption to test the theory that meat consumption appears to be associated with masculinity, as Tobias Jansson addresses in his thesis titled “Vad blir det för kött? Om konstruktion av maskulinitet hos Per Morberg.” The findings of this thesis show that there is an unwillingness of environmental organizations to criticize meat consumption and that the reason for this seems to be rooted in cognitive dissonance and fear of losing supporters. Furthermore, the results of my survey support the theory that meat consumption is perceived as a masculine act.