A vegan diet results in approximately three times less environmental damage compared to a high-meat diet.
A groundbreaking study published in Nature Food has revealed that vegan diets can reduce environmental impacts by up to 75% compared to high-meat diets. The research, conducted by Dr Keren Papier and Michael Clark at the University of Oxford, found that vegan diets significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and pollution.
The study, which was part of a larger study into cancer and nutrition, analysed the dietary data of 55,000 people over a period of 12 months. The participants were classified into six different groups based on their self-reported dietary habits: vegan, vegetarian, fish-eaters, and low-, medium-, and high-meat-eaters.
The findings showed that vegans had 25% of the dietary impact for land use, 46% for water use, 27% for water pollution, and 34% for biodiversity compared to high meat-eaters. Even low meat diets had about 70% of the impact across most environmental measures of high meat diets.
The study used a dataset containing information on the environmental impact of 57,000 foods. It was found that meat and dairy foods have anywhere from three to 100 times the environmental impact of plant-based foods per unit of food consumed.
The food system is estimated to be responsible for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of the world's freshwater use, and 78% of freshwater pollution. This makes the choices we make about what we eat crucial for environmental conservation.
The study also suggests that one doesn't have to go full vegan or even vegetarian to make a big difference. According to Dr Keren Papier, "Even the least sustainable vegan diet was still more environmentally-friendly than the most sustainable meat eater's diet."
In the UK, meat eating declined over the decade to 2018, but in order to meet environmental targets, an additional 30%-35% reduction is recommended. The study's findings emphasize that shifting from diets high in animal products to plant-based diets is a powerful strategy for climate change mitigation and environmental conservation.
The study was originally published on The Conversation. Around three quarters of the world's ice-free land has been affected by human use, primarily for agriculture and land use change such as deforestation. A transition towards more plant-based diets could potentially sequester up to 100 billion tons of CO2, with numerous co-benefits such as improved water quality, biodiversity recovery, and reduced air pollution.
In conclusion, the study by Dr Keren Papier and Michael Clark highlights the significant environmental benefits of vegan diets. By making conscious food choices, individuals can contribute to climate change mitigation and environmental conservation on a global scale.
- The groundbreaking study published in Nature Food, conducted by Dr Keren Papier and Michael Clark at the University of Oxford, suggests that vegan diets can contribute to climate change mitigation and environmental conservation by reducing environmental impacts up to 75% compared to high-meat diets.
- The research, which was part of a larger study into cancer and nutrition, found that vegan diets can significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and pollution, compared to diets high in animal products.
- The study indicates that even small shifts towards plant-based diets could have a significant impact on environmental conservation, as they have anywhere from three to 100 times less environmental impact per unit of food consumed compared to meat and dairy foods.
