It is heartening to know that the Singapore Green Plan 2030 includes various initiatives for combating the climate crisis.

However, more emphasis should be given to measures to tackle an issue that is disastrous for the environment - the typical Singaporean diet, which includes the consumption of poultry, eggs, meat and dairy products.

According to a report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, animal agriculture is responsible for about 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In particular, cow farming produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat 28 times better than carbon dioxide, according to the Clarity and Leadership for Environmental Awareness and Research Centre.

Unfortunately, Singaporeans eat three to five times more meat and eggs than is environmentally sustainable, according to a study published in January 2019 in the medical journal The Lancet as well as local figures.

According to more recent figures from the Singapore Food Agency website, the average Singaporean consumed 4kg of beef, 2kg of mutton and 22kg of pork last year.

In the same year, the average Singaporean consumed 36kg of chicken, 2kg of duck and 388 eggs. This is far more than is environmentally sustainable for the planet.

Thus, I strongly urge the Singapore Government to impose a tax on every 50g of beef, pork and mutton that is consumed.

In time, this meat tax can be extended to poultry, eggs and dairy products.

The revenue from the tax can be used to subsidise plant-based alternatives and novel foods. This can nudge Singaporeans to eat less meat and switch to cheaper alternatives. Given how companies such as Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat and Next Gen Foods have created plant-based meats that are better for the planet and also taste similar to actual meat, there is no shortage of meat alternatives for Singaporeans to choose from.

Of course, many Singaporeans will lament about having to pay more for their regular beef burgers and pork chops.

However, the wicked problem that is climate change has become an existential crisis, with many lives at stake.

Thus, between choosing to eat plant-based meats and living on a harsher planet of scorching temperatures and devastating heatwaves, droughts and floods, I would opt for the former.

And I hope that all Singaporeans, and indeed all of humanity, will do the same.

Mohan Tamilmaran