The EAT-Lancet Commission presents the best diet for human and planetary health.
“Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and “tell it like it is”. As you can see in a series of graphs starting at 0:33 in my video Win-Win Nutrition Solutions for the Climate CrisisCO2 levels are uprising and the glaciers are melting, as is Antarctica. The oceans are getting warmer and more acidic. Sea levels are rising and extreme weather events are escalating. Yes, fossil fuel use is increasing, for example for air travel, but so is per capita meat consumption. In fact, one of the solutions offered by scientists to help the climate crisis is “to eat mostly plant foods while reducing global consumption of animal products…”.
what does “plan a sustainable diet’ is so easy that ‘the nutritional advice is the same: eat less meat’. It’s good for our personal health (reducing the risk of our number one killer, for example), as well as the health of the planet. As you can see below and at 1:24 in mine videoless healthy foods too cause the worst environmental impacts.
Indeed, the foods with the most nutritional value happen to be the foods that cause the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, as shown below and at 1:31 in my videoso the result is win-win.
Let’s put it all together. If we want to “redesign the global food system for human and planetary health’, meaning human health, planetary health and future human health, what would it look like? Enter the EAT-Lancet committee. What it was the “result of 2+ years of collaboration between 37 experts from 16 countries”? It is recommended to reduce total meat consumption to no more than one ounce per day (28 grams), which is about the weight of a single chicken tender, and, at the same time, a dramatic increase in the intake of legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils), vegetables , nuts and fruits. We is not not only in a climate crisis, but also in a health crisis. “Unhealthy diet carries a greater risk of morbidity and mortality than unsafe sex and the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco combined.” But we can address both crises simultaneously by “increasing the consumption of plant-based foods and substantially reducing the consumption of animal-based foods.”
Eating such a diet could save the lives of more than 10 million people a year. It can also help save the world. The Paris Agreement had set a cap, an ambitious target for a carbon budget to help avoid catastrophic impacts. “Staying within the bounds of climate change can be achieved by eating a plant-based diet.”
In addition, “the economic value of health benefits which are connected with more plant-based diets it compares or exceeds the value of environmental benefits…”. The health care benefits alone of a healthy global diet that is primarily plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan could outweigh the carbon price saved, as you can see below and at 3:11 in my video. We are talking about 30 trillion dollars a year was saved just from the health benefits of eating healthier.
Now, if the health of yourself, the planet, and your loved ones isn’t motivating enough, consider that you might be too facing threats to the global beer supply. The paper’s headline tells the story: “World beer supply drops due to extreme drought and heat.”
And healthier diets don’t just reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Livestock production it is the biggest driver of habitat loss’, so reducing meat consumption is also key to preserving biodiversity. The researchers “recommend… reducing the demand for animal products and increasing the proportions of plant foods in diets, the latter ideally to a global average of 90% of food consumed.” Also, “livestock production is also a major cause of climate change, soil loss and water and nutrient pollution,” appears to be a “blind spot in water policy”. “Despite the fact that animal products are the single most important factor in humanity’s WF [water footprint]water managers never talk about meat or dairy.”
It’s not just animal products, though. Yes, at least 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon is happening increase cattle and grow feed crops such as soybeans for export to other farm animals, but they are also brand vegetable oil, mainly palm and soybean. Both crops are expanding, “resulting in massive deforestation accompanied by a reduction in biodiversity and the release of sequestered carbon into the atmosphere… It will be particularly frightening if this deforestation is for the sake of junk food…”.
However, not everyone agrees that we should move to healthier diets. The World Health Organization actually pulled by the EAT-Lancet Commission which “advances the global transition to plant-based foods”. See, if we “focused on promoting mostly plant-based foods and excluding foods considered unhealthy, including meat and other animal foods,” such a diet could save 10 million lives a year and $30 trillion in health care costs and help of the entire planet, but “could lead to the loss of … jobs linked to animal husbandry and the production of ‘unhealthy’ food…”
So Which foods have the lowest carbon footprint? Find out next, then stay tuned Which diets have the lowest carbon footprint?.
Before this video, I think the only global warming video I had to date was Nutrition and climate change: Cooking up a storm. Glad to be able to add to this important topic.
One way to reduce meat’s impact on the climate is to switch to plant-based or farm-raised meat. I made a webinar about it and you can take it digital download here.
