A new study has linked beef production to deforestation, poor health

A new report says that meat-eating is linked to deforestation around the world.

The study by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said that the production of beef uses 60 percent of the world’s agricultural land, yet only produces five percent of the world's protein.

Not to mention, beef only accounts for two percent of calories.

“Producing meat, especially beef, requires large amounts of land. Global meat consumption has increased in recent years—and much of the new land for meat production has come from clearing tropical forests," read the report, according to Ecorazzi.

"This trend is a leading driver of deforestation and a significant contributor to global warming emissions. Beef in particular requires vastly more land than meats like chicken and pork, which use much less land to produce the same amount of protein.”

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The solutions, says the report, is to shift our diets away from beef to eating chicken or less meat altogether.

Other remedies outlined included the end of deforestation to raise livestock; combining animal grazing with forestry and to increase the productivity of livestock.

The study is a continuation of an earlier report called "Recipes for Success," reported Ecoseed, which linked vegetable oils to deforestation.