FOR OUR PLANET

A commonly cited reason for shifting to a plant based diet is to help the environment - the diet we  choose affects environmental and social factors such as carbon emissions, water, biodiversity and social resource efficiency.

Carbon Emissions

Reduce greenhouse and livestock gas emissions

  • Reduce nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2 in its warming effect. 57% of global greenhouse gas emissions from food production come from meat and dairy products. Beef contributes the most global greenhouse gas emissions, according to studies. Just 29% of food-related global greenhouse gas emissions come from plant-based foods.

To save energy

  • Reduce nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2 in its warming effect. 57% of global greenhouse gas emissions from food production come from meat and dairy products. Beef contributes the most global greenhouse gas emissions, according to studies. Just 29% of food-related global greenhouse gas emissions come from plant-based foods.

Water

Reduce greenhouse and livestock gas emissions

  • Agricultural production as a whole accounts for 93% of the world’s water supply, with meat  and dairy production being the biggest culprits

  • The average water footprint per calorie for beef is 20 times that of grain. Here is a summary of how much water it typically takes to make 1kg of various produce:

  • Beef takes an average of 15,415 litres of water

  • Sheep or goat meat takes an average of 9,000 litres of water

  • Pork takes an average 6,000 litres of water

  • Chicken takes an average 4,300 litres of water

  • Lentils takes an average 5,874 litres of water

  • Rice takes an average 2,500 litres of water

  • Soya takes an average 2,100 litres of water

  • Wheat takes an average 1500 litres of water

  • Quinoa takes an average 500 litres of water

  • Potatoes takes an average 287 litres of water

Social Resource Efficiency

Reducing world hunger

  • We can feed more people with crops which are used to feed animals : Over 10 pounds of plant protein is used to produce one pound of beef protein.

  • Plant based diets using present agricultural land and practices could easily feed double the world population and still free up huge tracts of land and water to return to nature

Biodiversity

Reducing the usage of land to make food.

  • Agriculture occupies 40% of Earth’s ice-free landmass. If everyone moved to a plant-based diet we would reduce global land use for farming by 75%. This large reduction of agricultural land use would be possible thanks to a reduction in land used for grazing and a smaller need for land to grow crops

Stabilising the oceans - 1 graphic

  • Currently our oceans are being overfished and gradually emptied of life. Approximately 60 percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from the sea, so oceans are crucial for humanity. The fishing industry is also responsible for contaminating oceans with plastic (old nets and fishing gear is left in the water)

To preserve habitats and species

  • During deforestation not only are trees are cut down but thousands species of animals