Matthew Hayek
@matthewhayek.bsky.social
NYU Asst. Professor of Environmental Studies. Climate, animals, land use, and food systems. MatthewHayek.com
Pinned
Small Reductions to Meat Production in Wealthier Countries May Help Fight Climate Change, New Analysis Concludes
Eliminating fraction of current beef production could remove three years’ worth of global fossil fuel emissions
www.nyu.edu
New study: we found that small reductions in pasture-based beef production in some areas, especially in temperate, humid regions like the Eastern US & Europe, could lead to large amounts of CO2 removal by regrowing native forests. Here's an explainer 🧵 www.nyu.edu/about/news-p...
To add to @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social's commentary, while Tyson agreed to halt its "climate friendly beef" in the suit settlement, there is still an open door: an expert would have to be agreed upon by all parties to allow "climate-friendly beef" or any similar climate-branded product to go to market
November 17, 2025 at 11:39 PM
To add to @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social's commentary, while Tyson agreed to halt its "climate friendly beef" in the suit settlement, there is still an open door: an expert would have to be agreed upon by all parties to allow "climate-friendly beef" or any similar climate-branded product to go to market
It's not the processing. It's how we process - added salt, saturated fat, sugars, and refined starches, often in the same food package. The arguments in this article to the contrary are not convincing me otherwise 1/ www.npr.org/2025/11/10/n...
People want to avoid ultra-processed foods. But experts struggle to define them
The evidence that ultra-processed foods are bad for us is piling up. But efforts to reduce their role in our diets face a big hurdle: experts can't agree on what they are and which to target.
www.npr.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:17 PM
It's not the processing. It's how we process - added salt, saturated fat, sugars, and refined starches, often in the same food package. The arguments in this article to the contrary are not convincing me otherwise 1/ www.npr.org/2025/11/10/n...
Reposted by Matthew Hayek
Brazilian meat giant JBS just settled a false advertising lawsuit with the NYAG for a million dollars. It's a small win, but it shines a light on the pervasiveness of greenwashing by the meat industry, which will only get worse at COP30.
My latest @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
My latest @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
The Meat Advertising Case That Should Be Talked About at COP30
JBS’s false advertising settlement comes as Big Ag prepares to spread propaganda at the U.N. climate conference.
newrepublic.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Brazilian meat giant JBS just settled a false advertising lawsuit with the NYAG for a million dollars. It's a small win, but it shines a light on the pervasiveness of greenwashing by the meat industry, which will only get worse at COP30.
My latest @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
My latest @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
European countries want Brazil to increase forest conservation (it certainly can). But some of the world's best opportunities to spare & restore carbon in native forests—while displacing the least food production—actually lie in Europe. Our analysis shows this: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
November 5, 2025 at 5:02 PM
European countries want Brazil to increase forest conservation (it certainly can). But some of the world's best opportunities to spare & restore carbon in native forests—while displacing the least food production—actually lie in Europe. Our analysis shows this: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Lately there have been heightened anxieties about ingesting enough protein, too many contaminants, and too little meat.
You may have read that your protein supplements are giving you lead poisoning. That's not the case. If you want to have protein shakes, that's fine. But whether you need to and whether they're safely regulated is a different story. My latest for @vox.com.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
No, your protein powder isn’t poisoning you
New testing finds two-thirds of popular protein powders exceed lead limits — especially plant-based brands. What you need to know before your next scoop — and why the reality is different.
www.vox.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Lately there have been heightened anxieties about ingesting enough protein, too many contaminants, and too little meat.
A new study from U of Michigan researchers finds that the diet footprint of cities varies by 3x, primarily driven by variation in where & how beef is sourced & produced. I'm skeptical though, and think that their methods exaggerated real world variation 🧵 1/N www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Column | Your diet’s impact on the planet depends on where you live. Look up your city.
What you eat, and where you eat it, can have a big impact on how much you’re contributing to climate change, according to a study published Monday.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 21, 2025 at 5:46 PM
A new study from U of Michigan researchers finds that the diet footprint of cities varies by 3x, primarily driven by variation in where & how beef is sourced & produced. I'm skeptical though, and think that their methods exaggerated real world variation 🧵 1/N www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Confusing results from EAT-Lancet 2025 about seafood production/consumption that I'd like some help answering! Whether you're part of the commission or just another interested reader in the community. See thread below 🐟 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems
The global context has shifted dramatically since publication of the first EAT–Lancet
Commission in 2019, with increased geopolitical instability, soaring food prices,
and the COVID-19 pandemic exacer...
www.thelancet.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Confusing results from EAT-Lancet 2025 about seafood production/consumption that I'd like some help answering! Whether you're part of the commission or just another interested reader in the community. See thread below 🐟 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
The new Planetary Health Diet has been released by the EAT-Lancet commissions. Despite hearing years of talk about major methodological changes, the new recommendations look...basically the same as first one! Image from the Guardian. Links below
October 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The new Planetary Health Diet has been released by the EAT-Lancet commissions. Despite hearing years of talk about major methodological changes, the new recommendations look...basically the same as first one! Image from the Guardian. Links below
Similar takeaway here. A common thread was "we're tackling the root causes of climate change", which ranged across structural inequity, military industrial complex, forced labor, or using any agrochemicals. The phrase is a stand-in for funder perceptions & priorities, potentially biases.
my takeaway from climate week nyc is that "climate storytelling" is a little too much "we must reimagine our deepest souls in relationship to mother nature and the moral abyss of the polycrisis into which we must now stare" and not enough "ok but get a heat pump"
September 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Similar takeaway here. A common thread was "we're tackling the root causes of climate change", which ranged across structural inequity, military industrial complex, forced labor, or using any agrochemicals. The phrase is a stand-in for funder perceptions & priorities, potentially biases.
It was a great pleasure working with @scmcclelland.bsky.social at NYU for the past year and a half, and I recommend folks follow her here and on LinkedIn for great research on ag and nature-based solutions to climate change!
🚨 Big News!! 🚨
I am so excited to announce that I’ve recently joined the faculty at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences @stonybrooku.bsky.social ! My initial position is as a faculty fellow under the SUNY PRODiG+ Fellowship Program. 1/n
www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/soma...
I am so excited to announce that I’ve recently joined the faculty at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences @stonybrooku.bsky.social ! My initial position is as a faculty fellow under the SUNY PRODiG+ Fellowship Program. 1/n
www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/soma...
September 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
It was a great pleasure working with @scmcclelland.bsky.social at NYU for the past year and a half, and I recommend folks follow her here and on LinkedIn for great research on ag and nature-based solutions to climate change!
This article doesn't cover real stakes of this ban. Yes, celebrity chefs hawk products. But PFAS aren't all equal. PTFE in pans is relatively inert & foolproof for home cooking provided you use wood utensils. Ceramic just isn't as effective. A ban could backfire & cause more takeout & snacking
California Wants to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Pans. These Chefs Say Don’t Do It.
www.nytimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
This article doesn't cover real stakes of this ban. Yes, celebrity chefs hawk products. But PFAS aren't all equal. PTFE in pans is relatively inert & foolproof for home cooking provided you use wood utensils. Ceramic just isn't as effective. A ban could backfire & cause more takeout & snacking
Reposted by Matthew Hayek
What if wealthy nations could lock in high methane emissions and still claim climate neutrality?
That’s the risk with “temperature neutrality”.
Here’s the plain-English version of our new study:
medium.com/@colmduffy/h...
That’s the risk with “temperature neutrality”.
Here’s the plain-English version of our new study:
medium.com/@colmduffy/h...
How one country’s potential climate backslide could block others from feeding themselves, and…
The Dangerous Allure of ‘No Additional Warming’.
medium.com
August 13, 2025 at 10:32 AM
What if wealthy nations could lock in high methane emissions and still claim climate neutrality?
That’s the risk with “temperature neutrality”.
Here’s the plain-English version of our new study:
medium.com/@colmduffy/h...
That’s the risk with “temperature neutrality”.
Here’s the plain-English version of our new study:
medium.com/@colmduffy/h...
This is encouraging to see amidst a slew of "the rise of meat" articles. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
Why you should eat more plant-based protein
The evidence for big health benefits has never been clearer. Here’s how to get the right amount.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 18, 2025 at 7:08 PM
This is encouraging to see amidst a slew of "the rise of meat" articles. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/d... Chef Daniel Humm says that reintroducing meat was about being more inclusive and improving profits. But anyone can enjoy a plant-based meal for an evening, so what remaining reason does that leave us with?
Meat Is Back at Eleven Madison Park, After 4 Vegan Years
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2025 at 1:59 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/d... Chef Daniel Humm says that reintroducing meat was about being more inclusive and improving profits. But anyone can enjoy a plant-based meal for an evening, so what remaining reason does that leave us with?
Yes, we need to plant some trees, but in way fewer places than we tend to assume. Seed banks are everywhere. They'll reestablish themselves in *most* places as long as we get out of the way.
"Yes, but planting trees engages people into a fuller relationship with nature."
This isn't untrue, but the flip side is that it subconsciously reinforces the notion that we are central to everything, that it's all about us.
That is, the very mindset that's killing life on Earth.
This isn't untrue, but the flip side is that it subconsciously reinforces the notion that we are central to everything, that it's all about us.
That is, the very mindset that's killing life on Earth.
July 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Yes, we need to plant some trees, but in way fewer places than we tend to assume. Seed banks are everywhere. They'll reestablish themselves in *most* places as long as we get out of the way.
Regenerative agriculture, pseudoscience, and anti-regulatory fervor continue to clash in weird but predictable ways with RFK's appointment, this time with an endorsement of "biodynamic farming" which is based in mysticism. 1/ www.agriculture.com/partners-rfk...
RFK Jr., Rollins Stress Improving Soil Health at First Capitol Hill MAHA Roundtable
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dubbed modern soil health practices “unsustainable” during a Make America Healthy Again roundtable on Capitol Hill, where speakers called for ...
www.agriculture.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Regenerative agriculture, pseudoscience, and anti-regulatory fervor continue to clash in weird but predictable ways with RFK's appointment, this time with an endorsement of "biodynamic farming" which is based in mysticism. 1/ www.agriculture.com/partners-rfk...
Reposted by Matthew Hayek
Still shocked that a senior official would endorse biodynamic farming. I don’t know a single serious ag or environmental expert who supports it. Some back organic or regenerative—I disagree with them, but at least there’s debate. But biodynamic? It's based on mysticism, not science.
t.co/4ZNJ5gv4rq
t.co/4ZNJ5gv4rq
https://www.agriculture.com/partners-rfk-jr-rollins-stress-improving-soil-health-at-first-capitol-hill-maha-roundtable-11772946
t.co
July 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Still shocked that a senior official would endorse biodynamic farming. I don’t know a single serious ag or environmental expert who supports it. Some back organic or regenerative—I disagree with them, but at least there’s debate. But biodynamic? It's based on mysticism, not science.
t.co/4ZNJ5gv4rq
t.co/4ZNJ5gv4rq
At @drkatemarvel.bsky.social‘s book talk at NYPL “Earth is the best planet. All these billionaires want to go to Mars but they won’t even move to Jersey.”
June 17, 2025 at 2:24 AM
At @drkatemarvel.bsky.social‘s book talk at NYPL “Earth is the best planet. All these billionaires want to go to Mars but they won’t even move to Jersey.”
🎉 Thrilled to announce I've been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor at NYU Environmental Studies this fall! This wouldn't have been possible without my generous professional network—both in & beyond academia—and especially the immense unwavering support from my department. Thank you!
June 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
🎉 Thrilled to announce I've been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor at NYU Environmental Studies this fall! This wouldn't have been possible without my generous professional network—both in & beyond academia—and especially the immense unwavering support from my department. Thank you!
The NZ govt's & livestock sector's reactions to our open letter both seem to refuse Paris-aligned targets, which we & their own Climate Commission advised them to follow. Instead, they made a new panel, which crafted industry-friendly advice, ie 'no additional warming' www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Climate change scientists accuse government of 'ignoring scientific evidence'
But the Greens say New Zealand appears to be on "climate denial bandwagon".
www.rnz.co.nz
June 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The NZ govt's & livestock sector's reactions to our open letter both seem to refuse Paris-aligned targets, which we & their own Climate Commission advised them to follow. Instead, they made a new panel, which crafted industry-friendly advice, ie 'no additional warming' www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
I signed this letter bc "no additional warming" is blatant dodge. Major livestock countries can clearly do better than "keep warming constant" & I would argue that large herds in one country don't even do so, as the global total is still rising. This meager target ignores international obligations.
This is incredibly unfair: high-income nations with large dairy sectors are looking to adopt a "no additional warming" target, avoiding the methane cuts needed to meet international targets and pledges.
We have written an open letter to the NZ PM and I spoke to the FT👇🧵
www.ft.com/content/2ea6...
We have written an open letter to the NZ PM and I spoke to the FT👇🧵
www.ft.com/content/2ea6...
Scientists accuse New Zealand and Ireland of trying to cover up livestock emissions
‘Accounting trick’ to support methane-emitting sectors undermines fight against climate change, say researchers
www.ft.com
June 2, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I signed this letter bc "no additional warming" is blatant dodge. Major livestock countries can clearly do better than "keep warming constant" & I would argue that large herds in one country don't even do so, as the global total is still rising. This meager target ignores international obligations.
It was a pleasure consulting with @climatetown.bsky.social on this breakdown of everything that's being done to glamorize, healthwash, and greenwash the overconsumption of milk in the US.
I only helped a bit with the last part; they do incredible thorough research! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQiL...
I only helped a bit with the last part; they do incredible thorough research! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQiL...
Dairy Is Milking America Dry | Climate Town
YouTube video by Climate Town
www.youtube.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
It was a pleasure consulting with @climatetown.bsky.social on this breakdown of everything that's being done to glamorize, healthwash, and greenwash the overconsumption of milk in the US.
I only helped a bit with the last part; they do incredible thorough research! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQiL...
I only helped a bit with the last part; they do incredible thorough research! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQiL...
Time and again, offshore aquaculture and industrial fishing for their feed displace the subsistence and artisinal small market fishers. Our own research shows that carnivorous fish farms continue to consume more fish from the oceans than they produce from farming
www.desmog.com/2025/05/22/r...
www.desmog.com/2025/05/22/r...
Revealed: UK Supermarket Seabass Linked to Devastating Overfishing in Senegal
Waitrose, Co-op, Lidl, Asda and Aldi among retailers selling fish fed on west African catch
www.desmog.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Time and again, offshore aquaculture and industrial fishing for their feed displace the subsistence and artisinal small market fishers. Our own research shows that carnivorous fish farms continue to consume more fish from the oceans than they produce from farming
www.desmog.com/2025/05/22/r...
www.desmog.com/2025/05/22/r...
Reposted by Matthew Hayek
Great coverage in the Cornell Chronicle of our paper including quotes from me and @dominicwoolf.bsky.social.
Read here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yfmwy34h
Read here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yfmwy34h
May 21, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Great coverage in the Cornell Chronicle of our paper including quotes from me and @dominicwoolf.bsky.social.
Read here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yfmwy34h
Read here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yfmwy34h
Yes, climate mitigation means trying stuff that is prone to failure. But some orgs, economists & physical scientists were banging drums about which mitigation measures are cheap/easiest vs. hard/costliest for years. CDR always winds up toward bottom, but it captures disproportionately high funding!
Some sensible observations here, regarding the latest Climeworks failure. We do actually need carbon removal to work, and that means trying stuff.
May 19, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Yes, climate mitigation means trying stuff that is prone to failure. But some orgs, economists & physical scientists were banging drums about which mitigation measures are cheap/easiest vs. hard/costliest for years. CDR always winds up toward bottom, but it captures disproportionately high funding!