A study has predicted that 8 million fewer people would die annually and global warming could be minimised if everyone ate vegan.
Lead author Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food said, “what we eat greatly influences our personal health and the global environment” and the study certainly supported this.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and based at Oxford University, modeled the effects of four different diets by mid-century. These were: a ‘typical scenario’; one that follows global guidelines including minimum amounts of fruits and vegetables and limits on red meat, sugar and total calories; a vegetarian diet; and a vegan diet.
The results were significant, and show that adopting a vegan diet could avert 8.1 million deaths by 2050!
Not only can a vegan diet save lives, following a vegan diet would also cut food-related emissions by an incredible 70%, compared to a meager 29% when following typical dietary recommendations.
And, adopting a vegan diet can help not only animals, people and the planet, but the economy too! The study found that dietary shifts could produce savings of $700 billion to $1 trillion per year on healthcare, unpaid care and lost working days, while the economic benefit of reduced greenhouse gas emissions could be as much as $570 billion!
The study also considered the impact on specific countries. It found that reduced consumption of red meat would have the biggest effect in East Asia, the West and Latin America; increasing fruit and vegetable intake was found to be the largest factor in saving lives in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa; a reduced calorie intake and general healthier living would be crucial for improved well-being in the Eastern Mediterranean, Latin America and Western nations.
So, the results are in people. It’s time to go vegan!
This post was last modified on December 15, 2020 6:24 am