Vegan diets cause "far less climate pollution," reports WPLN, citing a study that found vegetable-only cuisine implicates 75% less planet-heating emissions, land use and water pollution than a diet that includes 3.5 ounces of meat each day. The study was published in Nature: Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts, by Peter Scarborough et al.
"It's an important piece of work," said Diego Rose, a nutrition researcher at Tulane University who was not involved in the study.
The conclusion is well established, despite efforts from the meat industry to convince people otherwise, but the study offers the most comprehensive analysis on the topic to date.
To factor in the variation of where and how food is produced, and avoid the pitfalls of cherry-picking studies, scientists at the University of Oxford looked at the actual diets of 55,000 people, as opposed to models, and data from 38,000 farms in more than 100 countries.
Finally something that might convince conservatives to become vegans!
