UN Urges Global Move to Vegan Diet

Posted on 3 June 2010

A report by the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) today said that a global shift towards a meat and dairy-free diet is vital to save the world from climate change, hunger and lack of fuel.

As the global population races uncontrollably towards a predicted 9 billion people by 2050, the UN report by its international panel of sustainable resource management says “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products … A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”

The recommendation follows the 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report that highlighted all of these matters and more: (’Livestock’s long shadow, Environmental issues and options‘). The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also suggested observation of 1 meat-free day a week to reduce the effects of global warming.

The UNEP panel ranked the main global warming contributory factors according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was ranked level with the consumption of fossil fuels because they both increase rapidly with increased population and economic growth.

Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist from the panel, said “Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products – livestock now consumes much of the world’s crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides.”

“Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation”, said Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of UNEP.

Agriculture, due to methane gas production from livestock farming and dairies, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of total land use and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report has been launched just prior to the UN World Environment day on 5 June.

Last year the UN FAO also said that global food production would have to increase by 70% by 2050 to feed the world’s population. The UNEP panel say that this expected population growth with far outstrip any likely productive efficiency gains during that time.

Prof Hertwich, chairperson of the UNEP panel, said that the responsibility lies with the rich developed countries for ensuring that developing countries, where the majority of population and economic growth is likely to occur, do not follow the Western model and cause this uncontrollable and irreversible climate damage.

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