A shift to plant-based diets could reduce global food emissions by 17%, with rich countries benefiting the most, a new study finds.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to the global food supply chain that cause global warming could fall by 17% if people’s food choices shifted to more plant-based diets, a new study shows.
Researchers believe that 32.4% of global dietary emissions could be reduced by switching the diet of the 56.9% of the world’s population that currently overconsumes to a planetary healthy diet as recommended by the EAT-Lancet Commission.
An international team of researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change, noting that a shift to a planetary healthy diet would offset the 15.4% increase in global dietary emissions that would result from a shift to a healthier diet for those who currently underconsume (43.1% of the world’s population).
Within countries, higher-spending consumer groups typically contribute to higher dietary emissions through higher intakes of red meat and dairy products. The study shows that rich countries consume high-emission diets but have relatively low inequality, while many poor countries tend to have diets with lower emissions but high inequality.
Corresponding author Dr Yuli Shan from the University of Birmingham commented: “Animal-based products show greater potential for reducing emissions than plant-based products.
“We should work to reduce the over-consumption of high-emission products in rich countries, such as beef in Australia and the United States, especially among wealthy consumer groups, which will help achieve significant health and climate benefits.” ”
Researchers say that introducing incentives such as carbon pricing, eco-labelling and expanding the supply of low-emission products such as vegetarian foods could encourage consumers to change their eating habits.
A well-designed food environment can reshape residents’ eating patterns, and the simultaneous development of urban planning and infrastructure can help reduce the time and financial barriers that prevent people from adopting healthier diets.
However, experts point out that in countries such as Mongolia, where the diet relies heavily on red meat and dairy products due to traditional nomadic lifestyles, dietary changes may not be feasible, but it is necessary to strengthen national nutrition education.
Corresponding author Professor Klaus Hubacek of the University of Groningen said: “Low-income countries face greater challenges in achieving healthier diets, and more than 1.5 billion low-income people worldwide cannot afford the cost of a healthy diet for the planet.
“The change in dietary habits requires an increase in food consumption, but agricultural production efficiency has stagnated for decades in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia, and they cannot produce or import the food they need.
“Agricultural efficiency must be improved through various measures, such as crop and soil management technologies and the introduction of high-yield crop varieties. But the share of nutrient-rich products in imported foods must be increased, while restrictive trade policies that can lead to higher food prices must be reduced. ”
The researchers note that poor people often choose foods that are lower in cost, higher in calories but lower in nutritional value. High costs and low affordability remain the biggest barriers to these people choosing healthier diets – meaning policy efforts must focus on making food cheaper and more accessible, especially for low-spending groups.
The study assessed the uneven distribution of dietary emissions (including land use and non-farm emissions) for 140 foods in 139 countries or regions, covering 95% of the world’s population. The study reveals the inequality of dietary emissions across countries based on detailed expenditure data.
First author Yanxian Li, a PhD student at the University of Groningen, added: “The goal of the dietary transition scenarios is to assess the potential impact of changing consumer choices rather than forcing everyone to adopt the same eating habits on reducing emissions in the food system. ”
If the path from meat to plants is to be followed, the global food production structure will need to change dramatically to adapt to the large changes in demand.
The dietary shift would require an 81% reduction in the global supply of red meat (by calorie content), a 72% reduction in all sugars, a 76% reduction in tubers, and a 50% reduction in cereals, while the supply of pulses and nuts would increase by 438%, added fats by 62%, and vegetables and fruits by 28%.
Changes in food demand could lead to volatility in agricultural and land prices on global markets, trigger spillover effects between different food groups or other non-food sectors (e.g. stimulating biofuel production), and partially offset the benefits of the dietary shift.
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