1 yr. ago • 100%

Vegan Diets Cut Emissions, Water Pollution and Land Use by 75%, Major Study Finds

www.ecowatch.com Vegan Diets Cut Emissions, Water Pollution and Land Use by 75%, Major Study Finds - EcoWatch

The Livestock, Environment and People project at Oxford University says vegan diets have a major reduction in environmental impacts.

study link is here: Scarborough, P., Clark, M., Cobiac, L. et al. Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts. Nat Food 4, 565–574 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00795-w

47 comments

Good to see positive research on this subject, was soil health included in the research? I'd hope farming industry for vegan industry isn't doing the same it's doing for meat industry; which is to run the same crop year after year, ruining whatever growth potential that plot of soil had longterm.

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- I'm not saying that soil health isn't a problem for making vegan food. Since their is a significant less amount of crop farming needed to feed a vegan population we would significantly cut the amount of farmland needed and free up a significant amount of soil.
  
  Being vegan as well as fighting for animal rights we of course demand a more sustainable food system and everyone in it getting paid fairly.
  
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  Biggest step up would probably be for vertical farming to go mainstream. It's not too great for meat industry, but for vegan industry it works more than well.
  
  Another step up will be mass produced lab grown animal proteins/oils/fats (meats) which a healthy human diet requires. On other hand we can still also have a remnant of meat industry be left alive, which is to repurpose animals that have died of natural causes, rather than inhumanely farming animals enmasse.
  
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- There isn't "meat industry" farming or "vegan industry" farming. The primary dichotomies in farming are industrial vs small scale, organic vs conventional, and local vs global. If you don't like monocultural industrial farming, then support the other types of farmers.
  
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  I do support non-monoculture farming. Problem is as a consumer there isn't an easy way to know how it was farmed. Imo sustainable farming should be legislated by government.
  
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  I've always heard that "organic" farming is really not especially different from conventional farming, including from some folks in agriculture. Like, they still use chemical pesticides and stuff, just different ones that are less effective and so sprayed more heavily.
  
  I don't have anything to back that up with though, so there's a reasonable chance you have better info here. I'd be interested to know more if you've got standards and such you can share?
  
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- Knowing the farming industry, it'll still be the exact same corn and soy monocultures, just edible breeds
  
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