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The BBC has created a video asking whether being vegan is good for the environment – quoting new research to conclude that adopting a plant-based diet could lessen humanity’s impact on the planet.
The broadcaster says an increasing number of people are ditching animal products and opting for a plant-based diet for a number of reasons – including health, ethics, or the environment.
The video, presented by Frankie McCamley, tackles multiple issues including the impact of quinoa and soy production, and use of water in animal agriculture.
‘Dramatic impact’
The video also features Victoria Gill, the Science and Environment Correspondent for the BBC, who says: “Let me take just a moment to tell you about how if we all turned vegan it could dramatically reduce the impact we have on planet Earth.
“That’s according to a new study by scientists at the University of Oxford who crunched the numbers on meat and dairy production and found that while these animal products provide less than 20 percent of our calories, they use the vast majority of farmland – about 80 percent.
“Now there are other things individuals can do to make a difference to the environmental impact of what they eat: thinking about how far your food is transported for example. But even in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, it’s production, not transportation that’s really significant.”
