Vegans cause only 30% of environmental impact of high-meat diets, research finds

A few years ago, scientists around the world began to realize that international meat production has a direct impact on the environment; a problem that may affect people’s lives in the near future. In a new study published in the scientific journal Nature Food, a team of British researchers found that: low meat diets can help reduce the impact on the environment.

Based on dietary data 55,000 UK patientsThe team analyzed and matched what they ate and drank over 12 months. Thus, participants were classified into up to six different diet groups: vegans, vegetarians, fish-based diets, and low-, medium- and high-meat diets.

After dividing the participants into groups, the scientists linked the data to five measures that had an environmental impact on 57,000 foods: greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.

More than 20 years of data collected from participants and reused from another cancer and nutrition study were analyzed.

“Our dietary choices have a huge impact on the planet. Data from selective selection of high-impact plant-based foods or low-impact meat may obscure the clear relationship between animal-derived foods and the environment,” lead study author Peter Scarborough, partner of the Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) project, said in an official statement.

Meat and environmental impact

One of the most impressive results for scientists, The vegan diet has only 30% of the total environmental impact caused by high-meat diets.. In fact, this is considered the first study to establish a direct relationship between diet and the five most common environmental effects.

According to the study, a meat-rich diet produces 10.24 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions per day, requires 16.78 square meters of land per person, 890 liters of water per day, and contributes to the loss of 3.69 species per day. with very small numbers, This vegan diet It produces 2.47 kilograms of gas per day, requires 4.37 square meters, 410 liters of water and contributes to the loss of 1.12 species..

“Using data from more than 38,000 farms in over 100 countries, our results show that high-meat diets have the greatest impact on many key environmental indicators, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Reducing the amount of meat and dairy products in your diet can make a big difference in your food footprint,” adds Scarborough.

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