Eating fewer calories and more plant-based foods will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A groundbreaking study by Tulane University and the University of Michigan published in Environmental Research Letters found that meat, dairy and egg consumption is responsible for nearly 84 percent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Scientists analyzed the effects of more than 300 foods and the diets of 16,000 Americans. They found that only 20 percent of Americans, those who eat the most animal products, make up 46 percent of diet-related emissions overall on an average day.

Plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, cereals and grains, and nuts and seeds, make up a mere 3 percent of diet-related emissions. Legumes were found to be the least harmful to the planet, with pulses accounting for just 0.3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Reducing the impact of our diets—by eating fewer calories and less animal-based foods—could achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” said Martin Heller, a researcher at the University of Michigan. “It’s climate action that is accessible to everyone, because we all decide on a daily basis what we eat.”

This is hardly the first time eating animal products has been deemed harmful to the planet. Last year, the Alliance of World Scientists, a group of 15,000 scientists from 184 countries, concluded that humans must change their behaviour and switch to a plant-based diet to prevent environmental destruction.

Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits. In fact, even without fossil fuels, we will exceed our 565-gigaton CO2e limit by 2030.

Furthermore, simply by avoiding animal products, we can cut our carbon footprints in half. A pound of beef requires 13 percent more fossil fuel and 15 times more water to produce than a pound of soy.

There is no such thing as sustainable meat. Plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs take a mere fraction of the resources to produce than their animal-based counterparts. It’s time for anyone who cares about the future of our planet to take action and ditch animal-based products altogether.

But a vegan diet isn’t just good for the planet; it also spares countless animals a lifetime of misery at factory farms. Pigs, cows, chickens, and other farmed animals suffer terribly from birth to death.

So what are you waiting for? Join the millions of people who are helping to protect farmed animals and the planet by switching to a vegan diet. Click here to get started. And check out Mercy for Animals’ Pinterest page for thousands of recipe ideas.

This article was originally published at AlterNet.
By Joe Loria, communications and content manager at Mercy For Animals
Read the original article.

We millennials are often described as lazy, entitled and unwilling to leave our parents’ homes. But this isn’t the truth, nor is it what I’m here to discuss. We need to talk about what we’re eating and how it affects the world, our health and the countless animals at factory farms.

We’re not only the world’s largest generation; we’re the largest generation of self-identified vegetarians and vegans. Concerned about health, the environment and animal welfare, nearly 12 percent of us avoid animal products.

While it’s great that so many of us care, it’s important that we all understand the negative impact that eating meat, dairy and eggs has on the world.

Let’s start with the environment. It’s clear that killing animals for food is killing our planet. Consider this: Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined. Simply by avoiding animal products, we can cut our carbon footprints in half.

Animal agriculture isn’t only a leading cause of climate change; it’s also a leading source of water pollution. And it’s a huge drain on natural resources—for example, a pound of beef requires 13 percent more fossil fuel and 15 times more water to produce than a pound of soy. If you say you care about the environment, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is and eat a plant-based diet.

Millennials are the age group most likely to be uninsured, so it’s important we discuss the negative health effects of consuming animal products. Study after study has shown that one of the best ways to improve your health is to adopt a vegan diet. In fact, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that compared to shorter-term vegetarians, people on a vegetarian diet for more than 17 years enjoyed a 3.6-year increase in life expectancy. Just think about all you could do with that extra time.

But surely the most important reason we millennials need to start caring about what we eat is because it directly affects the lives of billions of farmed animals. Cows, pigs and chickens raised and killed for food are just as smart and sensitive as the dogs and cats we adore at home. But at factory farms, they’re subjected to extreme confinement, brutal mutilations and bloody, violent deaths.

See for yourself:

Fortunately, we have the power to stop this. We can help the planet, animals and ourselves simply by adopting a vegan diet. And I know what you’re thinking—yes, you can still enjoy brunch.

So what do you say, fellow millennials? Let’s be the generation that puts an end to this cruel and unnecessary industry and makes the world a kinder place for all.

This article was originally published at AlterNet.
By Joe Loria, communications and content manager at Mercy For Animals
Read the original article.