Plant-Based Diets Significantly Reduce Land Use, Water Use, and GHG Emissions

Shifting towards a plant-based diet results in significant improvements to three key areas of environmental impact - land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions - according to a systematic review published in the journal Sustainability.

The research assessed 34 recent peer-reviewed studies of dietary impact, and found that, compared to omnivorous diets that followed the same dietary guidelines and caloric content, plant-based diets achieved median reductions of 59% for land use, 45% for water use, and 50% for GHG emissions.

The authors also wanted to assess the impact of more processed meat replacements, such as plant-based burgers. They found that, based on environmental lifecycle assessments, “consumers reduce land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions between 87% and 96% by choosing a [commercially available plant-based burger] instead of a regular beef patty”.

The authors of the review conclude that plant-based diets, and even plant-based meat options, are “unambiguously better for the environment”.

Reference

Kustar, A.; Patino-Echeverri, D. A Review of Environmental Life Cycle Assessments of Diets: Plant-Based Solutions Are Truly Sustainable, even in the Form of Fast Foods. Sustainability 2021,13(17),9926