The summer holidays are usually the ideal opportunity to fire up the barbecue.
But instead of opting for sausages and burgers, scientists from the University of Birmingham say we’re better off opting for vegetable skewers.
In a new study, they claim that adopting the “planetary health diet” – which consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, grains, plant proteins and unsaturated oils – could help save the planet.
Unfortunately for meat lovers, this diet contains only very small amounts of dairy and “animal proteins,” such as eggs, fish, and meat.
If everyone in the world followed the Planetary Health Diet, greenhouse gas emissions from food would drop by 17 percent, the researchers estimate.
Researchers claim that adopting the ‘planetary health diet’ – which consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, grains, plant proteins and unsaturated oils – could help save the planet
Unlike veganism or vegetarianism, the planetary health diet significantly reduces meat consumption rather than eliminating it completely.
Unlike veganism and vegetarianism, the planetary health diet greatly reduces meat consumption rather than eliminating it altogether.
Experts advise limiting the intake of animal proteins (meat and fish) to 3.6 percent of our total food consumption.
Meanwhile, dairy intake is the same – 3.6 percent – while the rest of the diet consists of whole grains (17 percent), plant proteins (such as tofu and nuts, 11.7 percent), unsaturated vegetable oils (9.5 percent), added sugars (3 percent) and starchy vegetables (1.5 percent).
“Current global annual dietary emissions would decrease by 17 percent if the Planetary Health Diet were adopted globally,” the researchers write in their paper.
‘[This would be] mainly attributed to the shift from red meat to legumes and nuts as major protein sources.’
For their study, the researchers examined data on household food consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with food.
According to the findings, 56.9 percent of the global population currently consumes too much meat and dairy products.
If this majority were to embrace the planetary health diet, 32.4 percent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions would be eliminated.
China (responsible for 13.5 percent of emissions) and India (8.9 percent) together are the most densely populated countries in the world and therefore contribute the most to global emissions through food.
Experts suggest limiting the intake of ‘animal proteins’ (meat and fish) to 3.6 percent of our total food consumption. Dairy intake is the same (3.6 percent), while the rest of the diet consists of whole grains (17 percent), vegetable proteins (11.7 percent), unsaturated vegetable oils (9.5 percent), added sugars (3 percent) and starchy vegetables (1.5 percent).
Meat-heavy diets are fueled by intensive livestock farming, which destroys habitats and generates greenhouse gases (archive photo)
Scientists have long been clear about the enormous carbon footprint that the human love of meat, fish and dairy products, especially beef, entails.
Livestock farming contributes to global warming due to the emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and carbon from livestock and their supply chains.
In addition, deforestation to make room for livestock farming means there are fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide.
The food system is responsible for about one-third of global human-caused [human-made] “Greenhouse gas emissions,” the study authors warn.
‘Climate goals are unachievable without efforts to reduce food-related emissions.’
According to the team, the US, Australia and Western Europe (including the UK) are currently the largest meat consumers in the world.
In contrast, countries such as India, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia are the least eager meat consumers, opting instead for grains or dairy products.
The US, Australia and Western Europe (including the UK) are the most avid meat consumers in the world. This chart shows the percentage of foods that make up the average diet in these countries (meat in green)
India, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia are among the least eager meat consumers, researchers reveal
Not surprisingly, poorer eastern countries place more emphasis on the consumption of grains such as rice and little meat, than developed countries that eat a lot of meat.
According to the researchers, not everyone in the world contributes equally to greenhouse gas emissions from food.
The team acknowledges that many poorer countries cannot afford to stop eating meat on a large scale, so the greatest responsibility probably lies with developed countries.
“We need to try to reduce the overconsumption of high-emission products in rich countries, such as beef in Australia and the US, especially for wealthy consumer groups who consume too much,” said Dr Yuli Shan.
“This would deliver significant health and climate benefits.”
This map shows global greenhouse gas emissions from food in 2019. Overall, China (13.5 percent of emissions) and India (8.9 percent) are the largest contributors to global emissions from food, as they are the most populous countries in the world.
By introducing incentives, such as emission labels in the form of traffic lights, and by expanding the availability of products with a lower emission value, such as vegetarian food, consumers can be encouraged to adjust their diets.
Reducing greenhouse gases is crucial to averting a climate disaster – although the food industry is of course just one of many sources of emissions.
They believe that eventually the planet will become too warm due to global warming, leading to widespread heat exhaustion and death, flooding of coastal cities due to polar ice accumulation, and food shortages.
The research was published today in the journal Nature Climate Change.