WHY PLANTS?
To fight climate change, we can easily make a difference by putting more plants and fewer animal products on our plates.
Read on to learn more.
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For Our Air
Raising nearly 10 billion land animals for food in the United States each year generates an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions, worsening the climate crisis.
According to the United Nations, greenhouse gas emissions from raising farmed animals make up 14.5 percent of global human-induced emissions.1
But there’s good news—swapping animal products for tasty plant-based foods can cut your greenhouse gas emissions from food in half2
For Our Water and Land
Our meat-heavy diets put a huge strain on natural resources. Raising animals for food accounts for 8 percent of all human water use3 and takes up 33 percent of the world’s cropland.4
Worse still, meat production also pollutes our land and water. Chicken farms5 and other animal-raising facilities generate tons of waste, which is commonly overapplied to nearby cropland as fertilizer. This leads to nutrient pollution that can destroy aquatic ecosystems and cause toxic algal blooms, which endanger humans and companion animals.
Plants to the Rescue!
Plant-based foods are much kinder to the planet than meat, dairy, and eggs, since they require fewer resources, like energy, water, and land, and pollute less.
For example, the juicy plant-based Beyond Burger—made from pea protein—generates 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a beef burger.6
So it’s no wonder that swapping meat for plants every day can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions from food by half. Even pledging a few days a week can make a huge difference.
