Actions like:
- Reducing/eliminating car usage
- Reducing residential heating/cooling
Are something individuals control and both would objectively have a much much greater GHG emissions impact. However they are not as popular in public discourse.
But for some reason this is never suggested as solution before stopping eating meat...
Based on what I see for sale in grocery stores and on restaurant menus a huge amount of meat is consumed in the US. I have a hard time believing it's all being consumed by people that don't care about the environment, animal cruelty and ethics. I think/hope that most people care about those things but just feel they are powerless to do anything about them or maybe aren't aware how bad some situations are, e.g. animal welfare in the meat industry.
If someone wants to decrease their green house emissions, its very hard to personally do anything about the Steel/Cement/Oil industry without a fair amount of effort - particularly if you're part of the "younger generation". Changes to those industries takes concerted political/industrial effort and vested interests want to maintain the status-quo.
However, anyone can give up or reduce the amount of beef they're eating without much effort, no government regulation needed.