100 Vegan Environment Sources

by Chase Avior

The Vegan Beyond Burger
creates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions,
uses 99% less water,
93% less land,
and requires 46% less energy
than a beef burger.

- University of Michigan

https://css.umich.edu/publication/beyond-meats-beyond-burger-life-cycle-assessment-detailed-comparison-between-plant-based

It takes 25 calories of plants
to make 1 calorie of beef
because the cow has to eat crops

for 18 months to get them

up to slaughter weight.

- Yale University

https://cbey.yale.edu/our-stories/disrupting-meat

Vegan is best diet
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

- IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/5-5-mitigation-options-challenges-and-opportunities/5-5-2-demand-side-mitigation-options/5-5-2-1-mitigation-potential-of-different-diets/figure-5-12/

70 billion land animals are fed and killed
every year across the world.
That's 10 times the human population.

- United Nations

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/animals-slaughtered-for-meat?country=~OWID_WRL

70% of the deforestation in the Amazon rainforest
is for raising cattle to make beef.

- United Nations

https://news.un.org/en/story/2006/11/201222-rearing-cattle-produces-more-greenhouse-gases-driving-cars-un-report-warns#.WPH_LWdFfIU

77% of global soy is fed to cows
for meat and dairy production.

- Our World in Data
https://ourworldindata.org/soy

90% of U.S. soybeans
are used as feed for animal agriculture.
- American Soy Association

https://soygrowers.com/key-issues-initiatives/key-issues/other/animal-ag/

It takes 1,800 gallons of water
to make 1 pound of beef
the equivalent of 120 showers.
Compared to only 600 gallons of water
to make 1 pound of beans.

- Stanford University

https://bewell.stanford.edu/plant-based-diet/

https://www.healabel.com/black-beans/

Raising animals takes up 75% of our farmland
because we have to grow tons of crops
to feed all these animals.
A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way
to reduce your impact on planet Earth,
not just greenhouse gasses,
but global acidification, eutrophication,
land use and water use.
Beef required 36 times more land than peas.

- University of Oxford

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

If everyone in the U.S. ate no meat or cheese
just one day a week,
it would have the same environmental impact
as taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

- Stanford University

https://bewell.stanford.edu/plant-based-diet/

The greenhouse gas emissions
coming from raising cattle
is more than the entire transportation sector
which includes all cars, trucks, trains, planes, and ships.

- United Nations

https://news.un.org/en/story/2006/11/201222-rearing-cattle-produces-more-greenhouse-gases-driving-cars-un-report-warns#.WPH_LWdFfIU

General Problems of Animal Agriculture

22 Links

Meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, but use the vast majority 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agricultures greenhouse gas emissions. - University of Oxford

https://www.leap.ox.ac.uk/article/reducing-foods-environmental-impacts

Moving from current diets to a diet that excludes animal products has transformative potential, reducing foods land use by 3.1 (2.8 to 3.3) billion ha (a 76% reduction), including a 19% reduction in arable land; foods GHG emissions by 6.6 (5.5 to 7.4) billion metric tons of CO2eq (a 49% reduction); acidification by 50% (45 to 54%); eutrophication by 49% (37 to 56%); and scarcity-weighted freshwater withdrawals by 19% (5 to 32%) for a 2010 reference year. For the United States, where per capita meat consumption is three times the global average, dietary change has the potential for a far greater effect on foods different emissions, reducing them by 61 to 73%.

https://globalsalmoninitiative.org/files/documents/Reducing-food%E2%80%99s-environmental-impacts-through-producers-and-consumers.pdf


Cow Milk vs Plant Milk

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/environmental-footprint-milks?country=Soy+milk~Almond+milk~Dairy+milk~Oat+milk~Rice+milk

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1402183111

https://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7256495/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7184671/

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aam5324

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6518108/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nbu.12453

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24898222/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3382952/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5638464/#__ffn_sectitle

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6855976/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5899434/

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1523119113

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165797

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025957#_i29

https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-016-0034-3

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35069916/

https://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/background/sustainable-dietary-guidelines/en/

Number of Animals Fed and Killed Per Year Worldwide

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/animals-slaughtered-for-meat?country=~OWID_WRL

Animal Burger vs Plant Burger

4 Links

https://css.umich.edu/publication/beyond-meats-beyond-burger-life-cycle-assessment-detailed-comparison-between-plant-based

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-10-29-plant-based-foods-are-good-both-health-and-environment

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33151486/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20061-y

Ratio of Plants to Create Meat

7 Links

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/feed-required-to-produce-one-kilogram-of-meat-or-dairy-product

https://cbey.yale.edu/our-stories/disrupting-meat

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034015/meta

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/feed-required-to-produce-one-kilogram-of-meat-or-dairy-product

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034015

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/08/us-could-feed-800-million-people-grain-livestock-eat

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/660S/4690010

Land Use

10 Links

Animal-based foods accounted for more than three-quarters of global agricultural land use and around two-thirds of agricultures production-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2009, while only contributing 37 percent of total protein consumed by people in that year.

https://www.wri.org/data/animal-based-foods-are-more-resource-intensive-plant-based-foods

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-kcal-poore

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-per-kg-poore

https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-protein-poore

https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets

https://ourworldindata.org/soy

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-06-01-new-estimates-environmental-cost-food

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1713820115

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

Deforestation

5 Links

https://ourworldindata.org/what-are-drivers-deforestation

http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/Preprints/2005/Cons%20Biol-Amazon%20deforestation%20-%20FINAL.htm

https://www.fao.org/3/XII/0568-B1.htm

"Analysis of 500 diet scenarios found veganism comes out far ahead consistently in real life scenarios with respect to the goal of preserving the worlds forests. "

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11382

Calculations show that, maintaining the actual rate of population growth and resource consumption, in particular forest consumption, we have a few decades left before an irreversible collapse of our civilisation. [...] Based on the current resource consumption rates and best estimate of technological rate growth our study shows that we have a very low probability, less than 10% in most optimistic estimate, to survive without facing a catastrophic collapse.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63657-6?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100094349&CJEVENT=b7b687a3ba1a11ed83f100090a1cb828

Water Use

4 Links

The average water footprint per calorie for beef is twenty times larger than for cereals and starchy roots. When we look at the water requirements for protein, we find that the water footprint per gram of protein for milk, eggs and chicken meat is about 1.5 times larger than for pulses. For beef, the water footprint per gram of protein is 6 times larger than for pulses. [...] The study shows that from a freshwater resource perspective, it is more efficient to obtain calories, protein and fat through crop products than animal products.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254859487_The_green_blue_and_grey_water_footprint_of_farm_animals_and_animal_products

https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8

https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/54/10/909/230205?login=false

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

14 Links

Rapid global phaseout of animal agriculture has the potential to stabilize greenhouse gas levels for 30 years and offset 68 percent of CO2 emissions this century.

https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000010


Shifts in global food production to plant-based diets by 2050 could lead to sequestration of 332547 GtCO2, equivalent to 99163% of the CO2 emissions budget consistent with a 66% chance of limiting warming to 1.5 �C.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00603-4

https://ourworldindata.org/carbon-opportunity-costs-food

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-014-1169-1#auth-Adam_D__M_-Briggs

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33688373/

https://news.un.org/en/story/2006/11/201222-rearing-cattle-produces-more-greenhouse-gases-driving-cars-un-report-warns#.WPH_LWdFfIU

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html%3famp

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29105912/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-bad-of-a-greenhouse-gas-is-methane/

https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6276

https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1314392110

https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000010

Grass-Fed and Free-Range

Methane was 4 times higher for (grass-fed) cattle on pasture receiving low-quality, high-fiber diets than for cattle fed high-grain diets (in feedlots).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10375217/

A nationwide shift to exclusively grass-fed beef would require increasing the national cattle herd from 77 to 100 million cattle, an increase of 30%.A switch to purely grass-fed systems would likely result in higher environmental costs, including higher overall methane emissions. Thus, only reductions in beef consumption can guarantee reductions in the environmental impact of US food systems.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aad401

Only 4% of U.S. beef retail and food service sales is grass-fed beef - with a value of roughly $4 billion.

https://extension.sdstate.edu/grass-fed-beef-market-share-grass-fed-beef

Manure Lagoons

5 Links

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2013637118

https://www.ncmedicaljournal.com/content/79/5/278.full#sec-2

https://libraryguides.law.pace.edu/c.php?g=452979&p=3107602

https://www.iatp.org/news/pollution-from-giant-livestock-farms-threatens-public-health

https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/animal-production-responsible-vast-majority-air-quality-related-health-impacts-us-food

Ocean Destruction

6 Links

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/06/dumped-fishing-gear-is-biggest-plastic-polluter-in-ocean-finds-report#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20of%20the,which%2086%25%20was%20fishing%20nets

https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/ca-ocean-plastic/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/01/meat-industry-dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico-environment-pollution

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/faf.12596

https://hillnotes.ca/2020/01/30/ghost-fishing-gear-a-major-source-of-marine-plastic-pollution/#:~:text=Ghost%20fishing%20gear%20is%20estimated,significant%20impacts%20on%20marine%20life

https://www.seaspiracy.org/facts

Water/Soil Depletion

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/11/115004/meta

Species Extinction

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01448-4

Antibiotic Resistance

11 Links

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4406955/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29387833/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29601469/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30152209/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25878509/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27443210/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32023977/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28676125/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-020-0051-0

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10643389.2020.1777815

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25792457/

Biodiversity Loss

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss

Vegan Food is Less Expensive

"Global study shows vegan and vegetarian diets are the cheapest option. [...] The study, which compared the cost of seven sustainable diets to the current typical diet in 150 countries, found that Vegan diets were the most affordable and reduced food costs by up to one third." - University of Oxford

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-11-11-sustainable-eating-cheaper-and-healthier-oxford-study

Affordable Vegan Recipes

https://plantbasedonabudget.com/

Total:

109 Links

Got studies I should add?

Send them to me.

[email protected]

200 Vegan Health Sources

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x_nKQgJS79saZ7XYNxZSephsqz50Ti3RjTauw5aV3fY/edit#

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Official link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Bpe5u-tvSPv9HSsS1ZbH8aTPw6P1F1vEhlSiJiXpeo

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