In his seminal book on climate change, Drawdown, renowned environmentalist Paul Hawken researched 100 solutions to tackle climate change, and ranked them in order of greatest impact. A plant-rich diet was ranked #4 on that list.

Our current agricultural system is responsible for an estimated 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than all forms of transportation combined, and only 1% less than electricity and heat production.

The animal agriculture sector alone is responsible for approximately 16.5% of human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, although many environmentalists argue this does not account for the full lifecycle of livestock production. Demand for animal-source food is predicted to increase by 35% from 2012 levels by 2030, and 50% by 2050.

Rapid changes in the animal agriculture industry are needed if we are going to be able to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Shifting towards plant-based proteins and cultivated meats are critical levers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to more sustainable protein production has the potential to achieve 14-20% of the emissions mitigation we need by 2050 to stay below 1.5°C.

By reducing the use of industrial animal agriculture we will simultaneously address multiple other pressing ethical, health and environmental issues:

• Animal suffering

• Deforestation

• Loss of biodiversity

• Antibiotic resistance

• Future pandemics caused by zoonotic diseases

• Water and air pollution

• Ocean dead zones