How to transition to reduced-meat diets that benefit people and the planet

TLDR

Overconsumption of meat harms human and environmental health, and because it is embedded in complex cultural, economic, and political systems, shifting to plant‑based diets requires sustained, context‑specific interventions. The study reviews evidence on the social, environmental, and economic impacts of meat overconsumption and evaluates the effectiveness of various dietary interventions. Replacing beef with beans could free 42 % of US cropland and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 334 mmt, and the authors recommend key actions for global leaders to support this dietary shift.

Abstract

Overwhelming evidence shows that overconsumption of meat is bad for human and environmental health and that moving towards a more plant-based diet is more sustainable. For instance, replacing beef with beans in the US could free up 42% of US cropland and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 334 mmt, accomplishing 75% of the 2020 carbon reduction target. We summarise the evidence on how overconsumption of meat affects social, environmental and economic sustainability. We highlight the social, environmental and economic effectiveness of a range of dietary interventions that have been tested to date. Because meat eating is embedded within complex cultural, economic, and political systems, dietary shifts to reduce overconsumption are unlikely to happen quickly and a suite of sustained, context-specific interventions is likely to work better than brief, one-dimensional approaches. We conclude with key actions needed by global leaders in politics, industry and the health sector that could help aide this dietary transformation to benefit people and the planet.