vegan food (especially soy) is bad for the environment

vegan food (especially soy) is bad for the environment

animal agriculture is a driving force behind the climate crisis with 85% of the global soybean crop used as animal feed

the scientific evidence is clear: going vegan is among the single most impactful things we can do individually to combat the climate crisis. studies have shown that if everyone went vegan, emissions contributing to global warming would be cut by 70%, agricultural land use threatening biodiversity would be reduced by 75%, our oceans, waterways, & rainforests would be revived, countless extinctions would be prevented, & much more.

soy production in and of itself isn’t bad. in fact, soy contains more protein per hectare than any other crop, and double that of pork and triple that of eggs. the issue is that almost all soybean crop is used for animal feed.

if you feel hopeless about our climate reality, you’re not alone. the best time to act was yesterday, but the next best is TODAY. environmental veganism gives us a tangible (and delicious!) way to do our part in keeping the world livable for generations to come. TOGETHER, WE CAN SAVE US.

more information / sources

Asparagus Magazine: Soy’s Rise is Causing Ecological Downfall

Our World in Data: Dairy vs. plant-based milk: what are the environmental impacts?

Nature: Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts

The Guardian: Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth

Our World in Data: Less meat is nearly always better than sustainable meat, to reduce your carbon footprint

GenV: Environmental Benefits of Veganism: How Does Veganism Help the Environment?

Our World in Data: If the world adopted a plant-based diet we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares

PNAS: Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change

Our World in Data: You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local

University of Oxford: Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers

BBC goodfood: Is a vegan diet better for the environment?

Our World in Data: Emissions from food alone could use up all of our budget for 1.5°C or 2°C – but we have a range of opportunities to avoid this

Our World in Data: Environmental Impacts of Food Production

Our World in Data: What are the carbon opportunity costs of our food?