General Article Vegetarian diets may be better for the planet – but the Mediterranean diet is the one omnivores will

Topic Selected: Dietary Choices Book Volume: 421

Vegetarian diets may be better for the planet – but the Mediterranean diet is the one omnivores will actually adopt

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Nicole Allenden, University of New England; Amy Lykins, University of New England, and Annette Cowie

What we eat and how we produce food matters. Food systems are responsible for more than a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

We cannot fully tackle the climate crisis without reducing the greenhouse footprint of our food. The issue is only becoming more urgent, as world population climbs alongside hunger stemming from war disruption of food exports. As people get richer and more urbanised, global consumption of meat and dairy products also grows.

Livestock are the main source of our food emissions and the third highest global source of emissions at 14.5%, after energy (35%) and transport (23%).

To cut these emissions, many advocate switching to plant-rich or plant-only diets. But will people who have a longstanding attachment to meat actual...

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