The Sustainability of Vegetarian Diets

Abstract

This chapter defines sustainable diets and compares the production of animal and plant foods in terms of efficiency and environmental impacts. From a review of the literature, it is concluded that the production of meat protein is less energy efficient than that of plant protein, as it requires much more fossil fuel, water, and land. The chapter also discusses the environmental impacts of food on pollution, biodiversity, and climate change. Relative to plant protein production, animal protein production has a greater detrimental effect on the environment. Research suggests that switching from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet could significantly attenuate the environment costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.