Researchers found vegan diets caused 75 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to diets featuring 100g of meat a day...
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Experts have warned the UK must cut down on its meat consumption to meet the nation’s climate targets.
It follows a damming report into the environmental impacts of diets, which has been described as ‘the most comprehensive analysis to date ‘.
Published in Nature, the study linked dietary data from a sample of 55,504 vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters.
38,000 farms in 119 countries were also analysed, to include variables for food production and sourcing, which many previous studies failed to factor in.
Vegan vs meat – the results
Researchers found plant-based diets caused 75 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and land use compared to diets featuring 100g of meat a day.
Vegan diets also slashed wildlife destruction by a staggering 66 percent, and water usage by 54 percent.
At least 30 percent differences were found between low and high meat-eaters for most indicators.
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Researchers found plant-based diets caused 75 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, slashed wildlife destruction by a staggering 66 percent, and water usage by 54 percent. Photo © Viktor Pravdica via Adobe Stock
‘A big impact on the planet’
Oxford University Professor and lead author Peter Scarborough said: “Our dietary choices have a big impact on the planet.
“Cherry-picking data on high impact plant-based food or low impact meat can obscure the clear relationship between animal-based foods and the environment.
“Our results, which use data from over 38,000 farms in over 100 countries, show that high meat diets have the biggest impact for many important environmental indicators, including climate change and biodiversity loss.
“Cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.”
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Will the government take action?
Despite the study’s clear findings, the UK has shown no indication it will implement policy to reduce meat consumption in the nation.
According to The Guardian, a government spokesperson said: “People should make their own decisions around the food they eat.”
However, many have pointed out the government has interfered with dietary choices in the past, such as implementing a ‘sugar-tax’ and traffic-lighting food’s nutritional contents.
Want to learn more? Find out just exactly how food production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions here
Featured image © Magda Tymczyj via Getty Images
