An Appetite for Life: How a Global Food Revolution Could Help Save the Planet, Farmed Animals, and Us
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An Appetite for Life: How a global food revolution could help save the planet, farmed animals, and us. To feed a rising global population and fight against climate change, scientists are calling for a ‘great food transformation,’ one which would require drastically reducing our consumption of meat and dairy, and making a cultural shift towards a largely plant-based diet. hether through red meat consumption would media coverage, need to halve across the world environmen- and fall by more than 80% in tal campaigns, developed countries, while the outspoken celebri- proportion of nuts, fruit, vege- ties or influential tables and legumes (such as documentaries lentils and chickpeas) should Wsuch as Cowspiracy and Net- be doubled. flix’s Our Planet, the idea that This may sound like a radical food production is unsustai- overhaul, but scientists are nable from a planetary pers- convinced it will take nothing pective has been around for less if we are going to address a long time. A succession of the needs of an ever-growing high-profile reports, as well as population, and a planet in increasing public awareness, crisis. The report - which took have recently brought the three years to compile and issue under renewed focus. brought together 37 experts In January 2019, a group of from 16 countries specialising international experts pro- in health, nutrition, environ- posed a “planetary health mental sustainability, eco- diet” which would minimise nomics and politics – is not climate change and rainforest the first of its kind. A major destruction, while preventing study by the University of millions of premature human Oxford, published in October deaths each year. The land- 2018, delivered equally strong mark report, published in The recommendations. Scientific Lancet medical journal, claims consensus has now consoli- that in order to feed an expec- dated around the idea that ted population of 10 billion meat and dairy have dire people by 2050, we will need consequences for the planet. to adopt a largely plant-based Avoiding them, scientists say, diet with modest allowances is the biggest single way to for meat, dairy and sugar. reduce our environmental Under its recommendations, impact. The Environment ver the last 50 land use are all symptoms years, global of the food industry. Wit- meat pro- hout action, scientists fore- duction has cast these environmental oincreased nearly five times, impacts could worsen by from 70 million tonnes in up to 90% by 2050. Conti- the early 1960s to more nuing at this trajectory, than 330 million tonnes in they argue, will push us 2017 - an increase driven past critical environmen- by a rising population and tal limits, beyond which higher incomes. While we humanity will struggle to shake our heads at defo- survive. restation, species extinc- At the same time, the tion and an ever-warming World Resources Institute climate, many of us don’t says that food production realise that we are actually will have to grow by 50 eating our way towards percent by 2050 in order these very same out- to feed the growing popu- comes. The food system is lation. arguably the largest driver So how do we reconcile of environmental degrada- these two conflicting out- tion: climate change, bio- comes? diversity loss, depletion of On an increasingly overpo- freshwater resources, soil pulated planet, making infertility, pollution from sure that there is enough nitrogen and phosphorus food to feed everyone is a fertilisers and changes in question of efficiency... If the world’s cattle formed their own nation, it would have the third-highest emissions on Earth, behind only China and the United States. > Meat production uses enormous amounts of land, both for grazing and growing grain for cattle feed. Carbon-storing forests, wetlands and grasslands are often converted to pasture. > Toxins from manure and fertiliser pour into waterways, causing harmful algal blooms, which suffocate fish and lead to widespread ‘dead zones’ The vast majority of global would also spell disaster for mland use by more than 75% more potent as a greenhouse farmland - more than 80% - is the earth’s remaining forests – an area equivalent to the US, gas than carbon dioxide. The currently used for livestock and peat lands. Already, in China, the EU and Australia environmental impact of meat which produces just 18% of areas such as the Amazon and combined – and still feed the (and especially beef) is so high food calories consumed. The eastern Australia, deforestation world. Beef requires 160 times that experts have suggested huge amounts of land, grain is taking place at alarming more land than potatoes, cutting it out would be a and water required to produce rates in order to make way for wheat or rice - and it produces better way for consumers to this animal protein is seen by more cattle farms. Not only 11 times more greenhouse gas reduce their emissions than many as dramatically waste- does deforestation accelerate emissions. Likewise, producing giving up their car. ful, especially considering that climate change by releasing a glass of cow’s milk results in The evidence is clear: agri- same land could instead be greenhouse gases into the almost three times the green- culture is a major (though repurposed to produce more atmosphere, it also reduces house gas emissions of dairy- often overlooked) cog in the food. One study in the U.S. the natural carbon sinks the free alternatives. climate change machine, and has shown that, by switching forests provide. Agricultural emissions are on we can’t afford to keep fee- meat and dairy for plant crops While some kinds of meat and track to contribute around ding the expanding population that have equivalent nutritio- dairy production are more 70% of the total allowable on meat. Taken alongside the nal content, between two and damaging than others, all are greenhouse gas emissions by 2018 UN report, in which the 20 times more food could more harmful to the living 2050. According to the UN, world’s leading scientists war- be generated on the same world than growing plant pro- livestock farming currently ned there are just 12 years in amount of land. tein. A 2018 study published in accounts for over 14% of all which to keep global warming Bringing more land under the journal Science suggested greenhouse gases, mostly in under 1.5°C, it seems that livestock production is the- that if we were to abolish the form of methane. Pro- food choices have an increa- refore not the answer, and it meat and dairy consumption, duced in animals’ digestive singly important role to play in we could reduce global far- systems, methane is 30 times countering climate change. The world loves eating meat, but that love puts pressure on the world. Red meats - and especially beef - are the worst offenders, having a greater impact on the climate than any other food. According to a report by the Unless consumers cut down World Resources Institute on their meat consumption, (WRI), demand for animal- by 2050 the world will have based foods is on track to rise to deforest a land mass nearly more than two-thirds by 2050. twice the size of India (relea- The WRI has also warned that sing much of its sequestered the resulting expansion of carbon in the process) just animal agriculture could to keep up with the additio- produce enough emissions nal demand. At a time when to exceed the Paris climate concerns are also growing agreement’s targets for catas- about the effect of meat on trophic warming (even if the human health and animal world completely stops using welfare, such stark warnings fossil fuels). should be taken seriously. Research published in 2014 farming. showed that the green- Eating less meat would house gas emissions of a free up billions of hectares vegan diet are half that of farmland, and while not of a meat-eating diet, and all of this pastureland is the benefits of plant-based suitable for growing crops, eating extend beyond it could be returned to na- climate change. Whereas ture, allowing the recovery buying an electric car or of ecosystems destroyed turning down your hea- by livestock farming. ting will simply lower your Of course, such a move greenhouse gas emissions, would meet strong oppo- choosing a vegan lifestyle sition from the farming also alleviates a multitude community, and there of other environmental would need to be sound ills - such as global aci- economic incentives for dification, eutrophication, reducing meat and dairy land use and freshwater farming. One study has impacts. That is not to say shown that, in the US that vegetable and cereal alone, switching to a plant- crops have zero impact, heavy diet could save the but - according to research country up to $80 billion by the University of Oxford dollars, by averting green- - even the least sustai- house gas emissions and nable plant crops are far the national cost of health less damaging than the problems that stem from most sustainable livestock unhealthy diets. The World Resources Institute estimates that peas and lentils produce 20 times less greenhouse gas emissions than beef. Even small changes to our diets could lead to massive environmental gains. Human Health nhealthy Cooking meat at high diets are temperatures (such as the largest pan frying or grilling) also global produces harmful chemi- U burden of cals including heterocyclic disease, and pose a grea- amines (HCAs) and polycy- ter risk to morbidity and clic aromatic hydrocarbons mortality than unsafe sex, (PAHs), the latter of which alcohol, drug, and tobacco are also found in cigarette use combined. smoke and car exhaust Meat, dairy and eggs all fumes. In laboratory expe- contain cholesterol and riments, both HCAs and saturated fats, which are PAHs have been found the main culprits in the to be mutagenic—that is, rise of obesity.