On the Reuters website, I found an interesting article about how different types of diets on a scale of all mankind can change life on Earth in a few decades.
According to scientists, a decrease in the amount of meat in the human diet and an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables by 2050 would allow avoiding several million annual deaths, significantly reducing air emissions leading to a warming of the planet, and saving billions of dollars spent on medical expenses and control with environmental and climatic problems.
New research published in the publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, for the first time assessed the impact that the global shift to a plant-based diet could have on human health and climate change.
As noted by Marko Springmann, lead author of research from the University of Oxford’s Future of Food Program (Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food), unbalanced diets pose the greatest health risks worldwide, and our food system produces more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers at Oxford University have modeled the impact on human health and the environment by mid-century four type of diet.
The first scenario is the base one, based on the forecasts of the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO), in which the structure of food consumption will not change.
The second is a scenario based on the global principles of healthy eating (developed, in particular, by the WHO), implying that people consume only enough calories to maintain their optimal weight, and limit their consumption of sugar and meat.
The third scenario is vegetarian and the fourth is vegan, and they also imply optimal calorie intake.
Results for health, ecology and economics
A global diet in accordance with the principles of a healthy diet would help to avoid 5,1 million annual deaths by 2050, and a vegan diet would avoid 8,1 million deaths! (And I readily believe it: it is no coincidence that the diet of centenarians from all over the planet consists mostly of plant foods).
In terms of climate change, a global dietary recommendation would help reduce emissions from food production and consumption by 29%; a vegetarian diet would cut them by 63%, and a vegan diet would cut them by 70%.
Food changes would save an estimated $ 700-1000 billion annually in health care and disability, while the economic benefit from reducing greenhouse gas emissions could be $ 570 billion, the study said. The economic benefits of improved public health can equal or exceed the averted damage from climate change.
“The value of these benefits provides a strong case for increasing public and private funding for programs to promote healthier and more sustainable diets,” notes Springmann.
Regional differences
The researchers found that three-quarters of all savings from dietary changes will come from developing countries, although per capita the impact will be most significant in developed countries due to higher meat consumption and obesity.
Scientists have analyzed regional differences that should be taken into account when determining the most appropriate measures for the production and consumption of food. For example, reducing the amount of red meat will have the greatest impact in western developed countries, East Asia and Latin America, while increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Of course, you shouldn’t think that making these changes will be easy. To switch to a diet corresponding to the second scenario, it will be necessary to increase the consumption of vegetables by 25% and fruit inabout the whole world and reduce consumption of red meat by 56% (by the way, read about 6 reasons to eat as little meat as possible). In general, people will need to consume 15% fewer calories.
“We don’t expect everyone to go vegan,” Springmann admits. “But the impact of the food system on climate change will be difficult to address and will likely require more than just technological change. Moving to a healthier and more sustainable diet can be a big step in the right direction. ”