Rise of the Vegans!
More people than ever before are choosing to enjoy a plant-based lifestyle to help their health, animals and the environment.
According to new research from comparethemarket.com, over 3.5 million (seven per cent of people) in the UK now identify as vegan! This is a substantial increase on the number published in 2016, which said there were roughly 540,000 vegans over the age of 15 living in Great Britain.
The latest research, supported by environmental expert Professor Carolyn Roberts, reveals which ‘green’ changes the public are making and the associated impact on the environment.
Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.
Replacing meat and dairy with plant-based foods is one of the most effective ways to fight global warming. Professor Roberts, the first Frank Jackson Professor of the Environment at Gresham College, says that in the battle to save the environment we could be better off passing on our steak and burgers than taking the bus.
Avoiding food grown in hot-houses or air-freighted to the UK could reduce your emissions by five per cent. Cutting out all avoidable food waste by 12 per cent. Switching to less intensive meats (from lamb and beef to pork and chicken) by 18 per cent and eliminating all meat from the diet reduces food-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35 per cent. But going vegan could halve your emissions!
In an email to Viva! Health, Professor Peter Scarborough of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food said “…a 100% plant-based diet (i.e. vegan diet) would reduce GHG emissions by about 50%”.
Despite the government’s lack of action, people are wising up to what changes they can make to reduce the impact they have on our planet.
Your choice of food can be a problem or part of the solution in addressing climate change – the choice is yours!
A vegan diet is the only truly ‘green’ diet, associated with lower GHG emissions than that of a meat-eater, fish-eater or a vegetarian.
It’s so easy to go vegan! Try our free 30 Day Vegan meal plan. You can start anytime and we’re here to help www.viva.org.uk/30dayvegan.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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