In my previous post I listed eating less meat among the single steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Let me throw more light on the environmental impact of Plant-Based Diet.

Firstly, this year, Priyadarshi Shukla, Co-Chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) Working Group reported that, "Some dietary choices require more land and water, and cause more emissions of heat-trapping gases than others,” said Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
“Balanced diets featuring plant-based foods, such as coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and animal-sourced food produced sustainably in low greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation to and limiting climate change,” she said.

Also, just last month:

"Research released by C40 Cities in June 2019, revealed that food is amongst the biggest sources of consumption-based emissions from cities. Eating a sustainable diet and avoiding food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions from the food we eat by more than 60%. Research by The EAT-Lancet Commission released in January 2019 found that if adopted universally, the ‘Planetary Health Diet’ would dramatically reduce emissions, provide a balanced, nutritional diet for 10 billion people, and save 11 million lives each year. The planetary health diet is comprised of balanced and nutritious food providing up to 2,500 calories a day for all adults, not to exceed 16kg of meat per person per year or ~300g per week, and 90kg of dairy per person per year or ~250g per day, and low in ultra-processed food. A planetary health plate should consist of approximately half a plate of vegetables and fruits; the other half should consist of primarily whole grains, plant protein sources, unsaturated plant oils, and (optionally) modest amounts of animal sources of protein."

Already, many reputable foreign institutions and famous individuals have already taken bold steps in adopting Plant-Based Diet and cutting down on their meat intake. As I said earlier on, it's a collective effort and also a global challenge. Switching to Plant-Based diet is an important single action we can take without leaving others to curb the existential threat from climate change.

Written by: Eyesan.O.M
Vegan/Climate Change Activist
@inspireadvocate

Source:
https://www.c40.org/press_releases/good-food-cities

https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/08/08/land-is-a-critical-resource_srccl/