Adopt a plant-based diet
The scientific consensus is clear: shifting towards a plant-based diet—focusing on whole grains, legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soy), nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables—is one of the most effective ways to lower your carbon footprint, support biodiversity, and improve overall health.
With over 58% of our food emissions coming from animal products, even small changes—such as reducing meat and dairy consumption—can have a big impact. A plant-based diet uses significantly less water and land while producing fewer emissions compared to a diet high in meat and dairy.
Did you know? If everyone in the UK replaced just one meat-based meal a week with a plant-based alternative, it would reduce emissions by as much as taking 16 million cars off the road!
Want to take the next step? The Vegan Society has created an easy-to-use app that will guide you through incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet.
Figure: The greenhouse gas emissions of different food items. Even accounting for transport, meat and dairy contribute far more to global greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based alternatives.