1.11.26 Washington, DC — Climate and environmental advocates are raising concerns that the Trump administration’s newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans promote meat- and dairy-heavy diets while failing to address their well-documented role in climate change, deforestation, and global land-use impacts.
Animal agriculture — particularly cattle production — is a major driver of methane emissions, forest loss, and biodiversity decline. Cattle ranching is widely recognized as the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, especially in Brazil, the world’s largest beef producer. The United States, meanwhile, remains the world’s largest consumer of meat.
“Dietary guidelines are not neutral,” said Jane DeMarines, Founder and Executive Director of Climate Diet. “They shape global supply chains. When the U.S. encourages higher meat and dairy consumption, it accelerates deforestation in places like the Amazon and deepens the climate crisis.”
Large-scale cattle production has also been linked to the displacement of Indigenous peoples, whose lands and livelihoods are increasingly threatened by agricultural expansion. Environmental and human rights organizations have repeatedly documented how forest clearing for cattle grazing and feed crops undermines Indigenous land rights and weakens critical carbon sinks.
Critics say the new guidelines stand in contrast to climate science calling for reduced consumption of animal-based foods to meet emissions targets and protect remaining forests.
“These guidelines miss an opportunity to align U.S. food policy with climate reality,” DeMarines added. “Protecting the climate means rethinking what we put on our plates.”
About Climate Diet Climate Diet is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the connections between food choices, climate stability, and environmental justice.
Media Contact: Jane DeMarines, Founder,Exec Dir,Climate Diet
demarines@climatediet.org, 202-997-8785 www.climatediet.org
