Effective strategies to combat climate change might start with what’s on your dinner plate! The food we eat regularly can have just as much impact on the environment as our energy consumption, waste production, or other factors we are accustomed to considering.
Is there a diet lifestyle that is better for the environment than others? Which foods are the most environmentally friendly? Let’s take a brief dive into a few factors to consider.
Food and the Environment
Food production is a significant source of greenhouse gases. It’s only logical that our food would impact the environment.
Meat and dairy products from cows account for about 14.4 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases yearly. For comparison, that’s roughly the same amount as the emissions from all the cars, airplanes, and ships combined worldwide.
Overall, beef and lamb have the most significant climate footprint per gram of protein. Plant-based foods tend to have smaller carbon footprints. Pork and chicken land somewhere in the middle.
The Numbers Can Be Deceiving
It’s easy to look at the raw carbon emissions data and rank certain foods or meats from “best to worst.” But the numbers are usually only averages. For example, beef raised in the USA tends to produce fewer greenhouse gases than beef from Brazil or Argentina. And some experts believe the numbers underestimate the impact of deforestation associated with farming and ranching.
Plant-based products can also be deceptively harsh on the environment. For example, it takes 74 liters of water to make 200 ml of almond milk. These numbers might be lower than dairy milk, but that’s a lot of water.
Fruit and veggie crops are not always environmentally friendly, either. Globally, nearly three million Olympic-sized swimming pools of water are required to sustain avocado production alone. For this reason, many environmentalists suspect that the severe drought Chile is facing is tied to water being diverted from rivers to avocado farms.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, the high demand for avocados is directly tied to illegal deforestation as more farmers are expanding their lucrative avocado crops.
What about Vegan and Vegetarian Diets and the Environment?
While there are some variations or personal nuances to vegan and vegetarian diets and lifestyles, there are many commonalities that make up the “core” of vegan or vegetarian lifestyles.
Vegetarian Basics
Vegetarians abstain from eating meat. Many vegetarians also avoid eating by-products of animal slaughter. Many vegetarians do eat dairy, eggs, honey, or other products from animals as long as it doesn’t require the death or inhumane treatment of the animals.
Most people choose vegetarianism for ethical, ascetic, environmental, or nutritional reasons. The diet can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization–as far back as 3300 BCE! Vegetarianism became a significant movement in Britain and the United States in the 19th century.
Vegan Basics
The vegan diet is based on plants, grains, nuts, and fruits. Vegans tend to not eat any foods that come from animals, including dairy and eggs.
“Ethical vegans” avoid animal products in their diet and try to avoid using animals, animal products, and animal-tested products wherever possible. For example, they may abstain from wearing leather, wool, fur, down, or silk. Many ethical vegans even avoid eating honey since it’s made by bees.
“Environmental vegans” are those who avoid animal products on the premise that the industrial farming of animals can be environmentally damaging and unsustainable.
Are Vegan or Vegetarian Diets Better for the Environment?
Based on various studies, the vegan diet tends to have the smallest climate footprint compared to other typical food lifestyles.
While vegan and vegetarian diets may be healthier and better for the environment overall, it’s still critical to be mindful of your choices. Even some plant-based foods come with a heavy environmental impact.
I have mentioned the devastating impact of palm oil on the planet. Sadly, irresponsibly grown palm oil is common in many vegan alternative foods like non-dairy ice creams and cheeses. So, adding these vegan foods to your diet would not be eco-friendly.
Air-transported fruits and veggies can create more greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram than poultry! And, as previously mentioned, it’s critical to consider how various fruit and vegetable crops impact the overall environment. Additionally, there needs to be more research into the environmental impact of new popular vegan foods like jackfruit.
One key factor here is that WHERE our food comes from can be just as critical as the types of foods we choose. If you’re only concerned about reducing your carbon emissions, the most environmentally friendly diet is a vegan diet with an emphasis on eating as locally as possible. However, it’s possible to significantly improve your environmental impact by eating more locally grown fruits, veggies, and meats.
Eco-Friendly Diet Changes
So, is a vegan or vegetarian diet more environmentally friendly? The answer is it depends! As with many things, choosing an environmentally sustainable diet is all about balance. After all, if you cannot sustain and enjoy the changes you make, it won’t matter how “green” it is.
Here are some practical ideas that might help you reduce your food-related environmental impact in the long term:
- Consider cutting back to one serving of red meat per week, replacing the rest with plant proteins, chicken, pork, or fish.
- Research which cheeses are more environmentally friendly–surprisingly, some types of cheese are worse for the environment than chicken or pork because of how much milk it requires to make that type of cheese.
- Switch to certified sustainable fish to reduce your ocean impact.
- Choose veggies and fruits that are as regional as possible. This reduces the carbon emissions from shipping produce over long distances.
- Consider celebrating “Meatless Mondays” and eating vegetarian or vegan foods one day each week.
- Reduce your food waste. Some estimates say Americans waste about 20% of the food they buy. One practical way to reduce food waste is to plan your meal menu in advance and only buy what you need to cook those meals.
- Add one climate-friendly recipe to your weekly meal rotation.
Do you have a favorite strategy to reduce your food-related climate footprint? I’d love to hear it! And I’d love to receive some of your favorite climate-friendly recipes!
