Other than carbon footprint, there are good reasons to give up meat. 90% of Amazon deforestation is due to cattle ranching[1]. Raising cattle also uses a large amount of water [2]. So if you're concerned about these two aspects of the environment, giving up beef is a good option.

The techno-optimist in me isn't worried about the environmental impact of cattle in the long run. I think plant-based & lab grown meat is going to take off in a decade once it can be engineered to taste better than natural meat. Once this happens, the lower price will cause people to shift away from real cows unless they want to pay a premium for organic, non-GMO meat.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_in_Brazil#Causes [2] https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/l...