On Earth Day, a 50-year-old environmentalist and photographer from Colorado named Wynn Alan Bruce lit himself on fire outside the US Supreme Court.

Friends of Bruce, who subsequently died, said he was worried about climate change.

"This guy was my friend," said Kritee Kanko, a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. "This was not an act of suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to [the] climate crisis."

Bruce's act of immolation is one example of increasing fear of climate change, a fear that is damaging humans in various ways, including a surge in so-called "climate anxiety."

This fear is also manifesting itself in other ways, including the realm of public policy.

Many countries around the world are aggressively pursuing net-zero carbon emission plans designed to mitigate the effects of global warming.

'Losing' a Million Sheep and Cattle

While people tend to think reducing emissions involves shutting down coal plants, driving more electric vehicles, and relying more on solar and wind power—each of which comes with environmental and economic costs—these are not the only policies on the table.

Increasingly governments are targeting a different emission source: food (livestock specifically). The reasons for this are not hard to find.