2023-06-15 20:52:23
Many people are beginning to learn the truth about the origin of meat and animal products, the health risks associated with a diet dense in animal protein, and the profoundly devastating effects that industrial agriculture and animal husbandry are having on the planet.
Researchers from the University of Oxford recently published a study which concluded how eliminating meat and dairy from the diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint by up to 73%. If that is multiplied by 7,600 million people who inhabit the Earth, the change is a lot.
The researchers also discovered that if all of them directly stopped consuming meat and derivatives of animal origin -such as eggs, dairy or honey-, the amount of farmland needed would be reduced by 75%, meaning that it could be saved. an area equivalent to the size of the United States, China and the entire European Union combined.
Diet changes to save the planet
This change in diet and lifestyle would not only cause a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions, but would also free up vast amounts of land currently used for ranching, one of the main causes of an alarming rate of extinction of wildlife facing our planet today. Every day tens of thousands of hectares are cleared around the world to create pasture for cattle.
The study published in the journal Science is one of the most comprehensive analyzes available to date of the damaging effects modern agriculture and ranching have on the environment. It is so complex that data from almost 40,000 farms in 119 countries were included.
According to this research, the production of meat and dairy products is responsible for almost 60% of the agricultural share of greenhouse gas emissions.
“A vegan diet is probably the best way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use,” said Joseph Poore, main author of the paper. “It’s much more important to stop eating meat than it is to cut down on airplanes or buy an electric car,” he added.
Even selecting the type of meat according to its origin has a significant change. For example, cattle raised on natural grasslands used 50 times less land than those raised on deforested land. This can produce up to 12 times less greenhouse gas emissions. If you compare the environmental cost of producing proteins of plant origin, such as soybeans or legumes in general, there is a huge difference.
New updated scientific evidence
The most recent studies continue to add to the growing evidence. In a study published in the renowned scientific journal Environmental Research Letters, the environmental impact of different diets in Europe was analyzed. The researchers discovered that the Adhering to a vegan diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to a diet based on animal products. This is because the production of meat and dairy entails a high demand for land, water and energy, as well as being a significant source of polluting gas emissions.
Another study, conducted by the University of Oxford, investigated the effects of a global transition to a vegan diet. The results revealed that if the world were to adopt a vegan diet by 2050agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 70%. Furthermore, it was estimated that millions of human lives could be saved by preventing diet-related diseases and reducing pressure on natural resources.
These studies support the idea that the adoption of a vegan diet is a powerful tool to mitigate climate change and preserve our planet.. By opting for a plant-based diet, we can actively contribute to reducing our carbon footprint and building a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come.
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