Reflections on Food Taboos and Climate Change

Kelvingrove Street at the COP 26 climate change protest

John Barclay, in Food, Christian Identity and Global Warming: A Pauline Call for a Christian Food Taboo, makes a compelling case for Christians to reexamine their meat consumption in light of the growing climate crisis. It has provoked me to think intentionally about my dietary habits and how my attitude of indifference could callus my affection for my global neighbors.

Barclay begins by situating food taboos in Judaism to the relative freedom that Christians experience. Yet, this does not extend to the Lord’s Supper. He remarks that this meal undergoes Christological redefinition which intensifies meaning in ordinary food. So while Paul may seem to have an open attitude toward food (1 Cor 6:13; 8:8; 9:21; 10:25–26), he also announces a warning against sharing the table with demons, in the context of food offerings (1 Cor 10:20–22). Barclay synthesizes the ostensibly conflicting message by focusing on the context where something is eaten, not the food itself. In other words, Paul is asking the Corinthians to reevaluate their situation to see whether one’s faith is disrupted by it.

Barclay then connects Paul’s injunction for contextual revaluation to the broader idea of neighbor-love. The Lord’s Supper should be an expression of inclusion of the community at table fellowship (1 Cor 11:21), “And the ethic of the Lord’s supper should be the ethic of every Christian meal” . He draws four conclusions, in brief are, (1) food is not irrelevant even though there are no universal rules regarding food consumption; (2) the question of ‘can the food be consumed in honor of the Lord’ is important; (3) the effects of our consumption on others are important to consider; (4) food taboos are not un-Christian.

Following this he attends to the issue of climate change, and specifically, meat and dairy consumption. As much as 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas production comes from livestock production (all transportation= 13%!). “If we translate this into carbon footprint and focus here on beef (which has twice the carbon footprint of pigs or poultry), the consumption of 1kg of beef is the greenhouse gas equivalent of 100km light for each passenger, or the greenhouse gas equivalent of the use of a car for a 250km journey. To put that in other terms, to halve our consumption of red meat would do more for the environment than halving our use of the car”. Barclay asks the poignant question of how our meat consumption can be honoring to the Lord and how it affects those around us, especially the vulnerable (most effected by climate change). “Our consumption of meat could literally cause the death of others, and it is impossible to square this with the Christian duty of love towards all those for whom Christ died”.

Barclay’s urges us to recontextualize food taboos, the Lord’s Supper, and love for our neighbor in light of the growing climate catastrophe. As I continue to think about these issues and as it coincides with COP26 in Glasgow, I’m spurred to some sort of action. To do so requires engagement with the question of how our faith relates to the multi-tiered system of food production, the market, and individual responsibility. It can seem a daunting task, but I believe there are answers.

In general, our culture champions individual autonomy, even at the expense of others. Our personal well-being and comfort are set at a premium. We live and inhabit a society that prizes self-determination, personal choice, and often, gross over-consumption. We can resist the tendency of self-indulgence by instead focusing on the global community and to recognize, at a macro-level, the detrimental effects of climate change on vulnerable communities.

Our actions, as they are filtered through the economic structures often leave us wondering how we can make a difference. But we can determine to choose actions that reorient our relationship to communities already experiencing the effects of rising temperatures and shifting terrain. In other words, we can frame these discussions by visualizing the global community at the table of the Lord. The food we eat and the decisions we make have broad and can have tragic implications to our neighbor. Some of those communities are already facing the disastrous effects of climbing temperatures and droughts, like those experiencing forest fires. Some of those places are closer than you think! This is to say that these concerns aren’t abstract or theoretical, they affect real people in real places and happens whether we are aware of it or not. For example, our over-consumption of beef is connected to the deforestation in the Amazon, and our extravagant holiday spending, travel, and lavish meals leaves a disproportionate carbon footprint relative to the rest of the year. We can protect our future by making conscientious decisions about our diet, modes of transportation, and holiday expenses. There are ways we can uplift and honor those most affected by climate change and see them at the table of fellowship.

Instead of pontificating on the personal responsibility of others without holding myself accountable, I’ve decided to temporarily eat vegetarian. This most likely will not be a permanent diet for me. But the hope is I will eventually cut back on meat (I eat very little dairy). It’s not much, but it’s something. The global Christian community can come together and be a voice of change amongst the indifference and misinformation about climate change. And yes, Jesus is coming back, but that does not dimmish our responsibility to steward this beautiful planet. We’ve been given a place that not only sustains life for our existence but is captivating in its beauty and awe-inspiring in its reflection of God’s goodness.

Article used by Barclay:

John Barclay, "Food, Christian Identity and Global Warming: A Pauline Call for a Christian Food Taboo," ExpTim 121 (12)(2010): 585–593.

More information about climate change and specifically meat and dairy consumption:

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/reports

https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/