It may be that vegetarians and vegans are finally having their day in the limelight:
“A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change,” says a just-released report issued by the UN.
As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.
The report goes on to say that “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”
Lead author of the report, Professor Edgar Hertwich said: “Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels.”
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is also recommending that people all over the globe consume one meat-free day a week to reduce carbon emissions.
DietsInReview.com has a host of resources to help you get started on making this one meat-free day pledge.
Have a look at some at our vegetarian, vegan, and green diets to get started.
Via: The Guardian