A new research published by The Lancet shows that a plant-based diet has a lower impact on the environment than a meat-based
diet.
According to LIVEKINDLY, the study concludes that a vegan only diet translates to a 42-84 percent lower burden on the environment than the Mediterranean-style diet, also referred to as a “healthy US-style” diet.
Guiding people towards a vegan diet is a hard task since “meat is an important part of American food culture.” That’s why the efforts must go redirected to develop better alternatives to traditional animal-based protein, such as clean meat. This refers to lab-grown meat, which has less impact on the environment.
The study was led by Nicole Blackstone and analyzed six categories of environmental impacts, such as land use, water depletion, climate change, respiratory inorganics, marine water eutrophication, and freshwater eutrophication. With the exception of water depletion, all the categories were impacted up to 84 percent less by a vegan diet.
Meat consumption also has a dangerous impact when it comes to human health. “The integration of sustainability in all policies is essential to minimise environmental challenges. Recommendations for healthy diets are not complete if they ignore the indirect health impacts caused by environmental changes associated with food production and consumption,” noted the study.
Previous studies have shown that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% and still feed the world. The Loss of wild areas to agriculture is among the main cause behind the current mass extinction of wildlife.
The LIVEKINDLY report also mentions that according to recent stat, almost 70 percent of American consumers are open to giving it a try to a plant-based and 53 percent were open to eat clean meat instead of traditional meat, and 46 percent were willing to get clean meat items as part of their regular purchases.
Since avoiding meat and dairy diets is one of the best ways to contribute with the reduction of overall environmental impact on the planet, it’s definitely worth to give it a try, now more than ever.
