Cattle in a feedlot near Borger, Texas, Oct. 2009. Beef requires 31.5 kWh of energy to produce one pound, more than all other foods listed. Photo by Bowman! via Creative Commons/flickr.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6252#comment-595569
"Which foods have the smallest (and largest) energy footprint, thereby having the most environmental impact? While most people probably realize that meat products have a larger energy and environmental impact, the degree of difference isn't immediately clear. How much difference does it make if you're a vegetarian, or if you're almost entirely carnivorous? The following list provides a rough estimate of the energy required to produce different kinds of foods, in order from least to most energy intensive. David McKay's Without The Hot Air is a source for many of the numbers..."
David Mackay's Without The Hot Air (book as free downloadable PDF file)
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