Vegan diet and environmental protection

Vegan diet and environmental protection

In recent years, interest in vegan nutrition has steadily increased. Behind this development are not only health considerations, but increasingly also environmental aspects. Preserving our environment goes hand in hand with a sustainable lifestyle and a vegan diet can make a decisive contribution to this. This article highlights the connection between a vegan diet and environmental protection and shows how our food choices influence our environment.

Vegan nutrition and its scientific basis

What is vegan nutrition?

A vegan diet avoids any animal products, including meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and honey. This distinguishes it from a vegetarian diet, which only avoids meat and fish. Instead, vegan diets are based on plant-based products such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains.

The scientific debate about whether a vegan diet is healthy or not continues. While some studies suggest that vegan diets can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes, others emphasize that vegan diets pose a risk of nutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12, iron, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids, which are primarily found in animal products.

Why is a vegan diet environmentally friendly?

The main reason why vegan diets are often considered environmentally friendly is because of their efficiency and sustainability. The production of plant-based foods generally requires fewer natural resources and produces fewer greenhouse gases than the production of animal products.

Vegan diet and climate change

One of the main causes of climate change is the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. One of the largest sources of these gases comes from agriculture – particularly livestock farming.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), agriculture is responsible for around a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The largest share of this comes from livestock farming, which has high methane emissions. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas – about 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

A study published in the journal Science in 2018 found that up to 76% of agricultural land could be saved worldwide by avoiding animal products. Additionally, switching to a plant-based diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production by up to 73%.

Water consumption and vegan diet

Another aspect in which a vegan diet can contribute to environmental protection is water consumption. A significant amount of water is used in the production of animal foods. This includes both the drinking water for the animals and the water needed to clean the stables and produce animal feed.

According to the University of Twente's water footprint database, the production of one kilogram of beef uses an average of around 15,415 liters of water, while the production of one kilogram of apples only requires around 822 liters of water. A study in the journal Nature found that a plant-based diet could reduce water consumption per calorie by up to 20%.

Vegan diet and land degradation

Intensive animal agriculture also contributes to soil degradation. This particularly concerns overgrazing, as it causes the vegetation cover to disappear and the soil to be exposed to erosion. In addition, factory farming facilities and the associated over-fertilization of fields with animal excrement lead to an increased entry of nitrogen and phosphorus into soil and water, which can lead to over-fertilization and acidification of the soil.

Switching to a plant-based diet would reduce this excessive land use. A study by the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment concluded that a widespread switch to a plant-based diet in the United States could reduce agricultural land by about a third.

Conclusion

The connection between vegan nutrition and environmental protection is close: the production of plant-based foods is generally more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly than the production of animal products. Switching to a vegan diet can help slow climate change, reduce water consumption and prevent soil degradation. Vegan nutrition is therefore in many ways a key to more environmental protection.