Image: Poore & Nemecek, Science
A new analysis published in Science by researches from Oxford on reducing food's environmental impact through producers and consumers has found that reducing meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet, far bigger than reducing flights or driving an electric car. The study gathered date from 38,000 farms in 119 countries across 40 food products. The results show that 80% of farmland is used for livestock which produces just 18% of food calories and 35% of protein.
"Most strikingly, impacts of the lowest-impact animal products typically exceed those of vegetable substitutes, providing new evidence for the importance of dietary change."
The study also shows that farmed animal products account for 58% of the greenhouse gas emissions, 57% of the water pollution and 56% of the air pollution.
