Can veganism truly save the planet? Some would argue so. The diet, popularized for its apparent endless heath benefits, focuses on plant-based nutrition, forgoing consumption of animal-based foods such as meat, diary, or honey, and emphasizes eating vegetables, fruit, and legumes instead. According to a study by the Journal of Cleaner Production, “Increasing world population and the associated global average increase in food consumption, especially meat products, can pose an even greater threat to climate change, ecosystems health, food security and the overall population's health and nutrition,” and the vegan diet may be exactly what the world’s population needs (Assessment).
Because of the ease of producing such plants, many proponents of the vegan diet have especially touted the diet’s environmental friendliness, and have the science to support this claim. According to Sarah DeWeerdt, “the food we eat is responsible for over one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Of those, 80 percent are linked to livestock production,” and these emissions can be easily prevented (What if the Whole World Went Vegan). DeWeerdt writes further, “If every person on Earth adopted a vegan diet—one without milk, meat, honey, or any other animal products—the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food system in 2050 would fall by more than half compared to baseline levels in the early 2000s.”
Even less drastic diet changes could cause massive changes in the environment. According to an infographic from culinaryshools.org, if every American ate one less serving of chicken per week, this act alone could save the same amount of CO2 emissions as removing 500,000 cars from the road (Veganism). However, even a Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes plant consumption but also allows for moderate consumption of some dairy and meat (primary fish) products, has almost double the global warming potential as the vegan diet, according the Journal of Cleaner Production, so one may argue the largest benefit would come from veganism after all.
Many more benefits vegan diet suggest its effectiveness. Cost savings of veganism “amount to $234 billion US per year in emissions savings and $735 billion US per year saved in health costs,” according to DeWeerdt, and a nation-wide vegan diet would reduce 50% of America’s water usage also (Culinaryschools.org). Plants such vegetables, fruits and legumes have some of the lowest global warming potential values (GWP), but animal products have the highest GWP values per kilogram of food product, so even an increase of plants would likely reduce animal product consumption, thus effectively aiding the fight against global warming (Assessment).
However, all these benefits do come with a cost. Vegan diet practitioners “face deficiencies of calcium, Vitamins A and B12, and essential fatty acids like DHA and ARA” according to another article by DeWeerdt, “as well as of Vitamins D, E, and K which are already inadequate in current diets” (Climate Effects). These studies also may contain bias, as they may "differ in their geographical (global vs. the United States) and temporal (2050 vs. current emissions) frames of reference, the health outcomes they address (burden of chronic diseases vs. adequate nutrition), and how they evaluate diets (food groups vs. nutrients)” (Climate Effects). A vegetarian diet, which allows for consumption of dairy and eggs, would still be very effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a decrease in agricultural land demand and land clearing, but would accommodate for some of the nutrient deficiencies from a vegan diet, so this may be a feasible replacement instead (Wang).
Ultimately, as with any drastic lifestyle change, a switch to the vegan diet would require a personal commitment to pursing a healthier lifestyle, but would also require much research beforehand to prevent nutrient deficiencies. By avoiding certain obvious flaws in the diet by proper supplementation, this diet could cause much improvement in the environment, especially if adopted by a wider population, but even small diet changes could cause appropriate benefit as well. Diet changes should always be a personal decision, but the benefits of eating less meat and more vegetables cannot be discounted.
- Taylor Lemoine
Works Cited
“Assessment of the Nutritional Quality and Environmental Impact of Two Food Diets: A Mediterranean and a Vegan Diet.” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 167, Nov. 2017, pp. 929–37. www.sciencedirect.com, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.04.121.
DeWeerdt, Sarah. What If the Whole World Went Vegan? http:// www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2016/03/can-vegans-really-save-planet/. Accessed 1 May 2018.
DeWeerdt, Sarah. Climate Effects of Giving up Meat Depend on How You Slice It. http:// www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2017/11/climate-effects-of-giving-up-meat-depend-on- how-you-slice-it/. Accessed 1 May 2018.
Veganism & the Environment By the Numbers Infographic. https://www.culinaryschools.org/ yum/vegetables/. Accessed 1 May 2018.
Wang, George C. “Go Vegan, Save the Planet.” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/ opinions/go-vegan-save-the-planet-wang/index.html. Accessed 1 May 2018.
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