Carbon emissions being made

Why go plant based? For Environmental Protection

Research has revealed that animal farming carries with it grave environmental consequences. In the midst of a climate emergency, going plant-based is among the best things you can do as an individual.

Jump to Section

1
Overview
2
Plant Based
3
Key Studies
4
Key Data
The Climate Cost of Animal Farming
To understand the climate impact of animal farming, we must take a look at how it fits into the context of total emissions globally. Our best estimates place livestock as contributing to anywhere between 14.5 and 18 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. To get a sense of how stunningly large this figure is, one merely needs to compare these emissions to that of the transportation sector, which contributes roughly 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. As things stand, our reliance on animal farming places a larger burden on the global climate than the entirety of human transportation — all of our cars, planes, boats, trains, buses, and more.
The majority of the livestock industry’s pollution comes from the same places where the vast majority of your meat and dairy comes from — massive farms that can house thousands of animals as a given time, more commonly known as factory farms. These farms are owned by large companies, whose environmental impact can balloon so obscenely out of proportion so as to exceed the greenhouse gas emissions of entire countries. This was demonstrated by a recent report, which found that a mere 20 meat and dairy forms currently emit more greenhouse gas than the entirety of Germany, Britain, or France.
Yet another milestone was passed in 2018, with meat and dairy companies surpassing the greenhouse gas contributions of even the top oil production companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. Researchers tracking the emissions of these meat and dairy companies noted that the companies often obfuscated their emissions, and that many were “increasing production with no efforts in place to reduce their emissions.” Their report went on to note that if left unregulated, by 2050, meat and dairy farms will account for 80 percent of the budgeted greenhouse gas emissions. As consumers, we must pick a different path. Through adopting plant-based diets, we have the power to make a historic shift towards a climate friendly future.

Plant Based Diets Save Land, Water, and Reduce Emissions

Research has demonstrated that the emissions required to get 100g of protein from the most environmentally costly animal-derived sources are roughly 18 and a half times higher than producing the equivalent amount of the respective plant-based protein. In fact, on a list of the top 10 most environmentally unfriendly protein sources, animal based sources occupy every spot.

Factory farmed chickens
The Inherent Pollution of Livestock
Using animals as a source of food will always carry with it an egregious climate cost. This comes to us as a result of inherent inefficiencies involved in such a process. Consider the resources that it takes to simply raise an animal to the age of slaughter — each one of these individuals requires food, land, water, and continuous care for the entirety of their life. Instead of feeding humans directly, over 77% of soy produced worldwide is fed to livestock for meat and dairy production.

We have before us a tremendous opportunity. While our present climate crisis is extremely serious, the damage caused by the livestock industry can be drastically mitigated with a single move. Leading climate research has demonstrated that a society-wide transition towards plant based diets would deliver a 28% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy. A powerful tool in the fight against climate change lies right before us — if only we may be so bold as to reach out and take it.
People working on laptops

Key Data

Our current diet is terrible for our shared environment.

Animal agriculture is among the most damaging causes of carbon emissions from a single source. For this reason, no movement to heal our climate can be complete without an emphasis on plant based diets. .

28% Total reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions through a widespread adoption of a vegan diet.

18.5x More emissions for highest polluting animal based protein sources versus the equivalent plant based source.

20 Companies Selling animal sourced food produce more emissions than Germany, Britain, or France.

46% Of ocean plastic is fishing nets. The second most common source is also fishing gear.

Ready to take action? Try eating plant based for the planet. Gallons of water you'll save in 0 days: 0
View full climate fact sheet →