More Poultry and Fish Consumption Doesn’t Decrease Beef Consumption

It takes a lot more water, land, and resources to raise cattle for beef than it does to raise chicken or fish. Plus, cattle contribute a lot more greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, so—for the sake of climate responsibility—scientists encourage us to eat less beef. But despite rising numbers of fish and poultry consumption, beef consumption numbers haven’t declined. University of Oregon sociologist Richard York says it’s because of something called the displacement paradox.