Vegan diet and environmental protection

Vegan diet and environmental protection

Interest in vegan nutrition has increased steadily in recent years. This development not only has health considerations, but also increasingly environmental aspects. The preservation of our environment is hand in hand with a sustainable lifestyle and a vegan diet can make a decisive contribution. This article illuminates the connection between vegan nutrition and environmental protection and shows how the choice of our food affects our environment.

vegan diet and its scientific foundations

What is vegan diet?

vegan diet does not use any animal products, including meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and honey. This distinguishes them from vegetarian nutrition in which only meat and fish are avoided. Instead, vegan diet is based on vegetable products such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and grain.

The scientific debate about whether vegan diet is healthy or not. While some studies indicate that vegan nutrition can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer or diabetes, others emphasize that there is a risk of lack of nutrients in vegan nutrition, especially for vitamin B12, iron, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids, which primarily occur in animal products.

Why is vegan nutrition environmentally friendly?

The main reason why vegan nutrition is often considered environmentally friendly lies in its efficiency and sustainability. The generation of plant food generally requires less natural resources and creates less 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 this gases lies in agriculture - especially in cattle breeding.

According to the World Climate (IPCC), agriculture worldwide is responsible for around a quarter of the entire greenhouse gas emissions. The largest proportion of this goes back to cattle breeding, which has strong methane emissions. Methan is very strong greenhouse gas - about 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

A study published in 2018 in the specialist magazine 'Science' has determined that by avoiding animal products, up to 76% of agricultural areas could save worldwide. In addition, a plant -based diet could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of food production by up to 73%.

water consumption and vegan diet

Another aspect in which vegan nutrition can contribute to environmental protection is water consumption. A considerable amount of water is used in the production of animal food. This includes both the drinking water for the animals and the water that is required to clean the stables and the production of animal feed.

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

vegan diet and ground degradation

Intensive animal agriculture also contributes to the degradation of soils. This applies in particular to the overwrangement, as it means that the plant cover disappears and the bottom of the erosion is exposed. In addition, factory farming systems and the associated over -fertilization of the fields lead to an increased entry of nitrogen and phosphorus in floors and water, which can lead to over -fertilization and acidification of the soils.

The changeover to a plant based on a plant would reduce this excessive soil use. A study by the 'Institute on the Environment' of the University of Minnesota came to the conclusion that a comprehensive switch to herbal nutrition in the USA could reduce the agricultural areas by about a third.

Fazit

The connection between vegan nutrition and environmental protection is tight: the generation of plant food is generally more resource -friendly and more environmentally friendly than the production of animal products. A change to vegan diet can help to slow down climate change, reduce water consumption and avoid ground degradation. Vegan nutrition is therefore a key to more environmental protection in many ways.