Plant-based choices reduce the carbon impact of Americans’ diets

A plant-based diet can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the food system. With simple changes, Americans can bring our dietary carbon footprint closer to global levels. The result will be improved household health and greater access to food for the approximately 800 million people who live without a reliable food supply.

In recent research, Mitigating climate change impacts from the global food system through dietary changes, The study highlights that the American diet, which is dominated by animal products, especially red meat and dairy products, can produce more than twice as many emissions per calorie as diets in many other countries. Masu. Americans can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their diets by cutting back on red meat and dairy products and increasing plant-based proteins like legumes, nuts, and grains.

Environmental costs of animal-based diets

Animal products, especially red meat, have the highest GHG emissions per calorie. Despite accounting for only about 5% of the calories in the world’s diet, red meat alone accounts for almost 29% of the world’s food-related emissions.

In high-income countries like the United States, animal products can account for up to 71% of dietary emissions. This is in sharp contrast to regions that rely on plant-based staple foods. For example, in Indonesia, emissions are relatively low despite plant-based foods such as rice accounting for 83% of calories.

of EAT-Lancet Earth Health Diet We provide a science-backed approach to addressing dietary health and environmental sustainability. EAT-Lancet promotes a balanced combination of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes while minimizing red meat and added sugar.

The fundamental goal of the EAT-Lancet diet is to shift protein sources from high-emitting foods such as beef to plant-based proteins such as legumes and nuts, and moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and dairy products. This change is aimed at supporting the global dietary needs of a growing population while staying within the planet’s ecological limits.

Global adoption of the EAT-Lancet diet could reduce global food-related emissions by 17% overall. Research shows Americans need to significantly reduce consumption of red meat and dairy products in favor of plant-based foods, reducing emissions from the U.S. diet to lower emissions than countries with lower emissions. This will help achieve climate change and public health benefits.

Quantitative effects of dietary changes

This study highlights the striking differences in carbon footprint of diets around the world. With red meat and dairy products making up the majority of the diet, the United States has the highest dietary emissions in the world, with animal foods accounting for approximately 71% of total dietary greenhouse gas emissions. By comparison, European Union countries tend to have lower nutrient emissions due to a more balanced diet and wider use of plant-based options, despite a higher reliance on animal foods.

In South America, where beef production is a major industry, dietary emissions vary widely. Brazil, for example, ranks among the top emitters due to its high consumption of red meat. Because South American diets often include more legumes and grains than those in the United States, the continent’s overall dietary carbon footprint is only moderate.

In contrast, plant-based staple foods dominate the diets of Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in significantly lower dietary emissions. In Southeast Asia, for example, rice and other grains make up much of the caloric intake, and animal foods are less important. The structure of the Southeast Asian diet keeps emissions low. However, in certain regions such as Indonesia, emissions from rice production remain relatively high due to methane emissions from flooded rice fields.

In sub-Saharan Africa, diets are dominated by plant-based foods such as grains, tubers, legumes, and nuts, which account for more than half of food-related emissions. Similarly low. However, low income constraints often limit dietary diversity, leading to higher intakes of starchy staples rather than nutritious foods. While this diet has a low carbon footprint, it also highlights disparities in food access and nutritional diversity.

By adopting EAT-Lancet’s Planetary Health Diet, Americans could reduce their dietary emissions by up to 70%. Moving to a diet rich in plant-based proteins, fruits, and vegetables, and significantly reducing red meat and dairy products, could reduce U.S. CO₂ emissions by more than 1.9 gigatonnes per year.

Together, dietary changes across the three largest emitters – the US, China and Brazil – could drive more than half of the potential global dietary emissions reductions projected in the study. This important fact highlights that plant-based diets can have a significant impact on climate change.

A new path forward for Americans

Adopting a plant-based diet benefits the planet and public health. Research shows that improved health also reduces emissions, creating a win-win scenario for Americans. The transition to more plant-based foods requires individual and community-level changes, but making these options affordable and available also requires support from food producers and policy makers. .

Americans can reshape their diets to promote sustainability, improve health, and help solve global climate change. The benefits are clear. It’s a step toward lower emissions, healthier living, and a more sustainable future.