BITE-SIZED SOLUTIONS: hOW our food choices IMPACT the planet
Our food systems have a huge impact on the planet. When it comes to individual impact, the single biggest change you can make for the environment is changing what is on your plate. While industries like transport and energy get attention for cutting emissions, agriculture is a major greenhouse gas emitter and a key driver of environmental destruction. Meat and dairy are especially resource-intensive compared to plant-based foods.
In this article, we’ll explore the environmental impacts of our diets. How what we eat affects greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodiversity, and water use. We will also share some simple steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint through the choices you make at mealtimes.
In this article, we’ll explore the environmental impacts of our diets. How what we eat affects greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, biodiversity, and water use. We will also share some simple steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint through the choices you make at mealtimes.
Some of Chef Lily's Planet-Friendly Creations!
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
According to the United Nations, our food systems are responsible for around 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions globally. An astonishing 60% of that comes from meat and dairy alone! Animal-based foods, without question, have a much more detrimental impact on the environment than plant-based foods.
The graph shows that, apart from dark chocolate and coffee, animal-based foods have far higher emissions than plant-based foods throughout the supply chain. It's also important to note where these emissions come from--beef, for example, generates the most greenhouse gases during farming, with methane being up to 30 times more potent than carbon. Producing just one kilogram of beef emits 99 kg of greenhouse gases, 31 times more than the same amount of tofu.
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When we examine protein sources and their greenhouse gas emissions, the pattern remains the same: animal-based proteins have a much larger environmental impact than plant-based ones. For example, producing the same amount of protein from beef results in 59 times the emissions of pulses (such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas). Even poultry, which is considered a lower-impact meat, still produces 3 to 6.7 times more greenhouse gases than pulses for the same amount of protein. This shows just how significant the difference is between animal and plant-based proteins.
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A study published last year that analyzed the diets of over 55,000 people found that the greenhouse gas emissions of plant-based diets were, on average, only ¼ those of meat-focused diets, which is the average diet of more than half the world, including every country in Europe and almost every country in North and South America.
Opting for plant-based foods is an incredibly effective and easy way to slash your greenhouse gas emissions, but that’s not the only benefit. It’s also immensely impactful in saving and protecting natural lands and our planet’s abundant biodiversity.
Opting for plant-based foods is an incredibly effective and easy way to slash your greenhouse gas emissions, but that’s not the only benefit. It’s also immensely impactful in saving and protecting natural lands and our planet’s abundant biodiversity.
Land Use Change
Land use change is the common terminology used to describe transforming the natural landscape for human purposes, such as urban expansion and agriculture. It has affected nearly ⅓ of our planet’s land in just the last 60 years and, according to the UN’s IPCC, is the second biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally.
There is a huge difference in the amount of land used during the production of plant-based foods versus meat and dairy. With our current production models, half of the entire planet’s habitable land is used for agriculture. Currently, the meat and dairy industries require a land area equal to the size of the entire Americas combined, from Alaska all the way down to the tip of Chile. This equates to over 80% of all agricultural land just for meat and dairy, while only providing 18% of calories consumed globally. It’s easy to imagine that with an increasing population, the land requirements to feed everyone will only increase as well.
It takes nearly 100x as much land to produce a kilogram of beef or lamb as it does to produce the same amount of food from peas or tofu. This land is used mainly for grazing and for growing crops used as animal feed. It is an incredibly inefficient system. As the graph shows us, producing just 1kg of lamb requires nearly 370 m2 of land.
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Just as when we look at greenhouse gas emissions, when we take a protein-focused approach, we see similar results. The land requirements to produce animal based proteins, on the whole, still far outweigh those of plant-based proteins. Sheep and cow meat require between 75 and 85 times the amount of land to produce the same amount of protein as tofu.
Adopting a plant-based diet would reduce global agricultural land use by 75%, from 4 billion hectares to 1 billion hectares, while still feeding everyone. |
The IPCC has found that approximately half of all greenhouse gas emissions related to agriculture and climate change come from deforestation. In fact, agriculture is responsible for between 90% and 99% of deforestation in the tropics, over half of which is linked to pasture lands, soy (more on this below), and palm oil. Besides the fact that land use change releases tremendous amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere while destroying vital resources that help absorb carbon dioxide, it is also a major driver in biodiversity loss.
Biodiversity Loss
As we discussed in our article on biodiversity loss (here>>>), we are currently in the middle of our planet’s sixth mass extinction. This is caused entirely by human activity, namely the loss of wild areas. According to the United Nations, a staggering 80% of biodiversity loss comes from our food systems, with 30% of it coming from livestock production alone. A major study analyzing the environmental impacts of diets found that meat-focused diets, such as those in most developed countries, contribute to biodiversity loss at rates over 3 times that of plant-based diets.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 24,000 of the 28,000 species on their ‘Red List’ of endangered species at risk of extinction are threatened by agriculture. These species lose their habitats to live, shelter, hunt, feed, and breed. Without this, they cannot survive. In the Amazon, for example, about 137 species are driven to extinction every single day. Furthermore, the rise of humans has led to an 85% decline of wild mammals and it is clear that without a drastic change in our food systems and dietary patterns, we cannot fight biodiversity loss.
Water Use
Producing food doesn’t just require land—it also uses vast amounts of freshwater. About 70% of global freshwater resources are consumed by agriculture. While some crops can rely on rainfall, the high demand for food worldwide makes that impossible everywhere. In many regions, man-made irrigation systems supply all the water, drawing from lakes, rivers, or aquifers to irrigate crops.
Another problem is that, in most countries, per capita water resources have been steadily decreasing, with demand for water constantly increasing. This is just adding to the pressure on water resources, which at the same time is being impacted by climate change.
Another problem is that, in most countries, per capita water resources have been steadily decreasing, with demand for water constantly increasing. This is just adding to the pressure on water resources, which at the same time is being impacted by climate change.
When it comes to measuring by strictly looking at the quantity of protein produced, with the exception of nuts, animal based proteins need much, much more water than plant-based proteins to produce the same amount of protein. 100g of protein from cheese requires 27 times as much water to produce as the same amount of protein from tofu, while beef needs almost 15x as much freshwater.
Excess nutrients from manure, pesticides, and fertilizers also runoff into our waterways. So not only do we use absurd amounts of fresh water to produce small amounts of food, the livestock that we rear directly leads to the pollution of our waterways and the loss of biodiversity in them.
Excess nutrients from manure, pesticides, and fertilizers also runoff into our waterways. So not only do we use absurd amounts of fresh water to produce small amounts of food, the livestock that we rear directly leads to the pollution of our waterways and the loss of biodiversity in them.
The Truth about Soy
Many people interested in plant-based diets worry about soy—its health effects, how much is too much, and misleading claims about its role in Amazon deforestation. Soy often gets a bad reputation, especially when discussing land use. Brazil produces about a third of the world’s soy, with another third from the US.
While soy is linked to deforestation, most of it is grown for animal feed, not human consumption. Only 7% of global soy is used for foods like tofu, tempeh, and soy milk. Another 13% is for soybean oils, while a whopping 76% is used as animal feed!! |
But what about “Sustainable” meat and dairy?
A 2018 meta-analysis of global food systems found that even the most "sustainable" meat and dairy have far greater environmental impacts than the highest-impact plant-based proteins. Whether cows are raised on small farms or in factory settings, they still consume large amounts of food, water, and land. The crops grown to feed them also use significant resources. Additionally, “grass-fed” or “pasture-raised” cattle generate up to 42% more greenhouse gas emissions than feedlot cattle, once the land conversion for grazing is considered. Ultimately, even "sustainable" animal products can't match the lower environmental impact of plant-based options.
Photo: Aljaz at Trail Camp Slovenia
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OK, distill down the benefits for me....
Switching to a plant-based or plant-focused diet:
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What Can I Do?
The good news is, every time you eat or drink something is an opportunity to make a positive choice for the environment! And it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing, overnight change. So what are some easy steps to take?
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Curious to Learn More?
Check out the following documentaries: Gamechangers, Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, Food, Inc., Follow the Food
And these books: Eat & Run by Scott Jurek, Regenesis by George Monbiot, Food Choice & Sustainability by Richard Oppenlander and
Cooking on the Run (see here>>>) by our very own Chief Running Officer Heather and Coach Zandy!
Plant-centred runners to follow: Scott Jurek, Lucy Bartholomew, Morgan Mitchell, Kilian Jornet, Emilie Forsberg, Rich Roll, Fiona Oakes, Damian Hall, Harvey Lewis & Elisabet Barnes.
And these books: Eat & Run by Scott Jurek, Regenesis by George Monbiot, Food Choice & Sustainability by Richard Oppenlander and
Cooking on the Run (see here>>>) by our very own Chief Running Officer Heather and Coach Zandy!
Plant-centred runners to follow: Scott Jurek, Lucy Bartholomew, Morgan Mitchell, Kilian Jornet, Emilie Forsberg, Rich Roll, Fiona Oakes, Damian Hall, Harvey Lewis & Elisabet Barnes.
Next month, we take a look at fast fashion and how we can be more mindful when selecting our running gear.
Have a topic you want us to explore?