Plant-Based
for the Planet

Plant-based living

Solving the Environmental Impact of Food

The future of our planet depends on the choices we make today. Industrial animal agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. These problems threaten our ecosystems, making it urgent to adopt a Plant-Based for the Planet approach to find more Earth-friendly alternatives.

Choosing a plant-based lifestyle is a strong way to help the planet. When we eat more plant-based foods, we use less land and water, and we create fewer emissions. Plant-based farming is more efficient than raising animals, so we can feed more people with fewer resources. This helps the environment and supports fair access to food for everyone.

Living plant-based helps protect biodiversity. When fewer animals are farmed, forests, oceans, and grasslands have a chance to recover. By prioritising Plant-Based for the Planet, we give more space to wildlife and help restore natural habitats. It is a way to live alongside nature, not against it.

Plant-based choices are also about compassion and doing what’s right. They show respect for animals, the planet, and future generations. Every meal is a chance to make a positive difference and move toward a fairer, more sustainable world.

Plant-based living is easier than ever. There are plenty of tasty fruits, vegetables, grains, and new plant-based foods to try. Eating this way is not just good for the planet—it can also lead to better health, exciting meals, and a closer bond with nature.

Every choice counts. When we choose plant-based living, we help create cleaner air, healthier soil, and stronger ecosystems. This movement is about having more—more health, more kindness, and more hope for what’s ahead.

The path is clear: a greener, healthier, and more compassionate world is within reach. By choosing plant-based, we choose the Earth.

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Cowspiracy

The Sustainability Secret

The film that environmental organisations don't want you to see!

Adopt a Plant-Based Lifestyle. Be Happy.

Everything in nature is connected, and what we eat affects the world around us—especially our environment. You can make a difference three times a day just by choosing meals that are kinder to the planet.

Unveiling the Numbers

The Cost of
Our Choices

Animal agriculture generates massive amounts of waste and greenhouse gases, contaminating our soil, air, and water. This significant environmental impact of food production is driving climate change, land degradation, and the collapse of ecosystems.

15,000
litres

of water are required to produce just one kilogram of beef — a stark example of how animal agriculture consumes one-third of the world’s freshwater.

+400
types

of toxic gases and 300+ million tons of manure are generated by factory farms, poisoning our air and water.

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75%

of global agricultural land could be freed if the world adopted plant-based diets — unlocking an area the size of the United States, China, and the European Union combined.

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60%

of global biodiversity loss is linked to food production — with animal agriculture being the leading driver.

Go vegan for the environment

Symbolic image of Earth surrounded by healthy plant foods representing sustainable eating.

How your diet could change the world

Since the 1960s, the global population has doubled—but world meat production has quadrupled. In some regions, livestock farming has skyrocketed: pig production in 2013 was 4.5 times higher than in 1961, and chicken production has surged nearly 13-fold.

These staggering figures are not slowing down. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) projects that by 2050, global meat production could nearly double again, driven by rising demand for meat, eggs, and dairy in Western diets—and the rest of the world is following suit.

The consequences for our planet are profound. Expanding livestock farming accelerates global warming, deforestation, water scarcity, soil degradation, pollution, and threatens countless species with extinction. More animals require more feed crops, creating a vicious cycle: the Earth cannot sustain both a growing human population and industrial animal farming. By 2050, there could be 2–4 billion additional people to feed, putting enormous pressure on already fragile ecosystems.

If we truly aim to reduce our carbon footprint, conserve water, cut energy use, and live more sustainably, the most powerful action lies on our plates. Transitioning to a plant-based diet isn’t just a personal health choice—it’s one of the most effective ways to protect the planet, preserve biodiversity, and create a sustainable future for generations to come.

Every meal matters. Every choice counts. Go vegan—for the planet.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/ap106e/ap106e.pdf

➡️ http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/rankings/commodities_by_regions/E

➡️ http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/rankings/commodities_by_regions/E

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/ap106e/ap106e.pdf

➡️ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-014-1169-1

 

the issues

The Planet in Crisis

Environmental Impacts of Animal Agriculture

Now more than ever, people across the world are experiencing the real impacts of the global climate crisis. Human activities are driving this change, and the environmental impact of food—specifically from animal agriculture—is a major contributor, responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. According to the United Nations, it “is causing increasing pressure on the planet’s natural resources,” which results in the degradation of the land, pollution of waterways, and the disappearance of countless species. Switching to a sustainable food system is not just a matter of saving the planet; it is necessary for the survival, happiness, and future of all living beings on Earth.

Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity loss is accelerating, with one million species at risk of extinction while three-quarters of the world’s food comes from just 12 plants and five animal species. Industrial animal agriculture is a major driver of this crisis, but choosing sustainable diets and lifestyles can help protect ecosystems, preserve wildlife, and maintain the planet’s natural balance.

Deforestation & Habitat Loss

Deforestation and habitat loss are among the most destructive consequences of animal agriculture, stripping forests, displacing wildlife, and accelerating climate change. Protecting these ecosystems is vital to preserving biodiversity and planetary health.

Water Pollution & Scarcity

The production of animal-based foods consumes vastly more water than plant-based alternatives, driving pollution and scarcity worldwide. Shifting dietary choices can help conserve freshwater, restore ecosystems, and support a more sustainable future.

Soil Degradation

Around one-quarter of the world’s land is turning into desert due to climate change and the expansion of livestock farming. Intensive animal farming depletes soil nutrients, contributes to erosion, and accelerates land degradation. Embracing plant-based systems can restore soil health, protect ecosystems, and secure fertile land for future generations.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture significantly accelerate global warming, disrupt climate balance, and endanger both people and wildlife. Addressing this issue is central to creating a more sustainable and resilient planet.

Environmental footprints
of dairy and plant-based milks

Impacts are measured per litre of milk. These are based on a meta-analysis of food system impact studies across thesupply chain, which includes land use change, on-farm production, processing, transport, and packaging.

Resource Use

Environmental Pressure
from Animal-Based Food Production

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Land use

We are rapidly running out of space to grow enough food, with three-quarters of the world’s agricultural land already devoted to livestock farming. This extensive land demand contributes to deforestation, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. As available arable land becomes increasingly limited, the expansion of livestock systems raises serious concerns about sustainable land use and long-term food security.

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Water use

Livestock production is highly water-intensive, requiring large volumes of freshwater for feed cultivation, animal hydration, and processing. Compared to plant-based food systems, animal-based production typically uses significantly more water per unit of output. In water-stressed regions, this level of consumption places additional strain on already limited freshwater resources.

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Overfishing

Rising global demand for seafood has led to widespread overfishing, with many fish stocks harvested beyond sustainable levels. This overexploitation disrupts marine ecosystems, reduces biodiversity, and threatens the livelihoods of communities dependent on fisheries.

Plant-Based Facts

Are you interested in learning more about a plant-based diet? Just beginning your journey toward a plant-based lifestyle? Or perhaps you are already well-versed in this field? Let’s explore how many of these facts are familiar to you.

Greenhouse Gases
Plant-Based Facts

Animal farming accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions—surpassing the total emissions produced by all forms of transportation combined.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

➡️ https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/currents/a-leading-cause-of-everything-one-industry-that-is-destroying-our-planet-and-our-ability-to-thrive-on-it-by-chr/

➡️ https://awellfedworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Livestock-Climate-Change-Anhang-Goodland.pdf

➡️ https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/ghg_report/ghg_nitrous.php

➡️ https://www.ibtimes.com/cow-farts-have-larger-greenhouse-gas-impact-previously-thought-methane-pushes-climate-1487502

➡️ https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1314392110

Land Plant-Based Facts

Livestock and the land used to grow their feed occupy one-third of the planet’s ice-free land. Animal agriculture is a major driver of species extinction, the creation of ocean dead zones, water pollution, and widespread habitat destruction.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/ar591e/ar591e.pdf

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

➡️ https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/36ade937-4641-46ed-aac4-6162717d8a7f/content

➡️ https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01014

➡️ https://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

➡️ https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/3156f027-c037-4836-80d3-22edc54d720e/content

➡️ https://opsociety.org/how-is-animal-agriculture-killing-the-planet/#:~:text=The%20expansion%20of%20animal%20agriculture,species%2C%20further%20depletes%20marine%20biodiversity.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/i0680e/i0680e04.pdf

➡️ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ocean-dead-zones-are-getting-worse-globally-due-climate-change-180953282/

➡️ https://phys.org/news/2006-02-mass-extinction-species-begun.html

➡️ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1400253

Marine Ecosystem
Plant-Based Facts

3/4 of the world’s fisheries are exploited or depleted. If current rates of overfishing and ocean degradation continue, scientists warn that our oceans could be nearly devoid of fish by the year 2048, leading to catastrophic ecological consequences.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

➡️ https://www.fao.org/publications/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-world-fisheries-and-aquaculture/en

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/i2727e/i2727e01.pdf

➡️ https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e1162?p=emailA2bBUeEf24la2&d=/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e1162#

➡️ https://ourworldindata.org/fish-and-overfishing

➡️ https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/worm-et-al.pdf

➡️ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/topic/oceans

➡️ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/seafood-biodiversity

➡️ https://www.fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf

➡️ https://fishcount.org.uk/fish-count-estimates-2

➡️ https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10244

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/W6602E/w6602E09.htm

➡️ https://oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/Bycatch_Report_FINAL.pdf

➡️ https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/products/AWI-MA-SharksAtRiskBrochure.pdf

Waste Plant-Based Facts

Every minute, millions of kilograms of animal waste are produced worldwide from animals raised for food, contributing massively to pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the strain on our planet’s resources.

➡️ https://act.thehumaneleague.org/animal-waste-destroys-nature

➡️ https://www.aspca.org/protecting-farm-animals/factory-farming-environment

➡️ https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts

➡️ https://www.uufhc.net/sustainable_plate.pdf

➡️ https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/36ade937-4641-46ed-aac4-6162717d8a7f/content

➡️ https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/901V0100.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=2000+Thru+2005&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C00thru05%5CTxt%5C00000011%5C901V0100.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL

➡️ https://e360.yale.edu/features/as_dairy_farms_grow_bigger_new_concerns_about_pollution

Water Footprint
Plant-Based Facts

Producing a single kilogram of beef requires around 15,000 litres of water, highlighting the enormous water footprint of animal agriculture. Overall, livestock farming accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s freshwater consumption.

➡️ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_footprint#Water_footprint_of_products_(agricultural_sector)

➡️ https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-food-agriculture/2020/en/

➡️ https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/6e2d2772-5976-4671-9e2a-0b2ad87cb646/content

➡️ https://www.earthsave.org/environment/water.htm

➡️ https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-abstract/54/10/909/230205?redirectedFrom=fulltext

➡️ https://www.waterfootprint.org/time-for-action/what-can-consumers-do/#productwater-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/

➡️ https://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides/ewgs-quick-tips-reducing-your-diets-climate-footprint

➡️ https://cdn.downtoearth.org.in/library/0.37171200_1556529315_factsheet.pdf

➡️ https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts

➡️ https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3098/pdf/2009-3098.pdf

➡️ https://viva.org.uk/planet/the-issues/water-use/

➡️ https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impact-milks

➡️ https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/22e23c47-5393-451e-b6aa-3f2c6fbc7cbe/content

Rainforest Plant-Based Facts

Animal agriculture is a major driver of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, accounting for up to 91% of forest loss in the region.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/4/XII/0568-B1.htm

➡️ https://www.internetgeography.net/topics/deforestation-in-the-tropical-rainforest/

➡️ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/business/energy-environment/deforestation-brazil-bolivia-south-america.html?_r=0

➡️ https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MightyEarth_MysteryMeat.pdf

➡️ https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/758171468768828889/pdf/277150PAPER0wbwp0no1022.pdf

➡️ https://www.rainforestrelief.org/What_to_Avoid_and_Alternatives/Rainforest_Wood.html

➡️ https://worldrainforests.com/facts/rainforest-facts.html#8

➡️ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-daily-destruction/

➡️ https://worldrainforests.com/0812.htm

➡️ https://globalforestatlas.yale.edu/amazon/land-use/soy

➡️ https://www.peta.org/living/food/gisele-cries-meat-deforestation-cattle-grazing-amazon/#:~:text=Animal%20agriculture%20is%20directly%20responsible,two%20acres%20lost%20every%20second.

➡️ https://worldrainforests.com/amazon/amazon_destruction.html

➡️ https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/brazilian-beef-giant-announces-moratorium-on-rainforest-beef/

Wildlife Plant-Based Facts

Livestock farming is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide, contributing to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.

➡️ https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammal-decline

➡️ https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts

➡️ https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/cop26-agricultural-expansion-drives-almost-90-percent-of-global-deforestation/en

➡️ https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1711842115

➡️ https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/about-the-program/program-data

Climate Crisis

Global Warming

Humanity is witnessing the undeniable impact of global warming — a crisis we have largely created ourselves. At the center of this problem lies industrial livestock farming, responsible for vast greenhouse gas emissions through deforestation, animal waste, fertilizers, and the heavy energy demands of meat and dairy production. These practices not only warm the planet but also exhaust natural resources and destroy fragile ecosystems. If we are to secure a livable future, we must rethink our food systems and reduce our dependence on animal products. Real climate action begins with human choices — what we grow, produce, and consume every day.

➡️ https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/new-fao-report-maps-pathways-towards-lower-livestock-emissions/

➡️ https://academic.oup.com/af/article/9/1/69/5173494

➡️ https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/

➡️ https://climate.ec.europa.eu/climate-change/causes-climate-change_en

Plant-Based for the Planet: Solving the Environmental Impact of Food

The consequences of global warming

Humanity​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ is really in a very serious situation. Experts warn that if current trends continue, our planet could warm by up to 5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century. This change would dramatically affect life on Earth. It’s not just about hotter summers; it would cause irreversible damage to the natural systems that support human civilisation. Melting polar ice caps would speed up sea-level rise, flooding coastal cities and displacing millions. Prolonged droughts and extreme heat would harm agriculture, leading to widespread food and water shortages.

What if we turn a blind eye to these warnings? The price will be very high. Indeed, the severity of floods, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes will increase. Ecosystems will collapse, and species will be lost forever. Food and water shortages could lead to disease, displacement, and conflict worldwide. This is not a distant threat.

More meat, more heat

As the global demand for meat soars, emissions from animal agriculture are climbing to alarming levels, driving climate change at an unprecedented pace. Tackling this crisis requires more than small lifestyle tweaks — it demands a fundamental shift in how we produce and consume food. Reducing reliance on animal-based products is essential to curbing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our planet’s future.

Real change starts on our plates: the choices we make about what we eat have the power to cool the planet and preserve ecosystems for generations to come.

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What a difference a diet makes

The only truly ‘green’ diet is a vegan one, producing far lower carbon emissions than any other dietary pattern. Choosing plant-based foods over animal products is the most effective way to shrink your personal climate footprint.

How to Go Vegan: Promoting animal welfare through compassion
A Vegan Diet:

Eating for the Environment

Our planet provides the water, air, and fertile soils that sustain life, but human activity is pushing it to the brink. If we fail to act, we risk losing the lakes, forests, and soils that nourish us and countless other species. Thankfully, we already have a powerful way to reduce our impact: veganism.

The only truly ‘green’ diet, a vegan lifestyle produces far lower greenhouse gas emissions than meat, fish, or vegetarian diets. Plant-based foods require less water, land, and chemicals, and are far more efficient to produce, feeding more people with fewer resources. A global shift toward plant-focused diets could cut food-related emissions by up to two-thirds, helping to prevent climate collapse while ensuring enough food for everyone.