Climate Change-sustainable Diet - The Connection and the Solution

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The Connection and the Solution

CLIMATE CHANGE

SUSTAINABLE DIET

HEALTH

COPENHAGEN CLIMATE CONFERENCE 2009

l a n e

t d i e

t .

o r g





“Improving dietary habits is a societal,

not just an individual problem.

Therefore it demands a population-based,

multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary,

and culturally relevant approach.”

WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity & Health 2004



INTRODUCTION

HEALTH OVERVIEWNational and International Figures

Dietary Factors

Costs o ill Health

DISEASES

Obesity

Cardiovascular Disease

Diabetes

Cancer

Swine Flu

DIET, DISEASE AND GLOBAL WARMING

The Link

Continuing Trend

Future Growth and Subsidies

GLOBAL WARMING FACTSEfects o Greenhouse Gases

Emissions & Diet

Locally Sourced Food

Land and Water Use

Food Insecurity

Deorestation

Species Extinctions

DIET FOR GOOD HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY

The Move Towards Plant-based Alternatives

SOLUTIONS FOR BETTER HEALTH AND

ENVIRONMENT PRESERVATION

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX 1 - FISH

APPENDIX 2 - QUOTES

REFERENCES

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Contents



The contents o this publication

have been endorsed by the

ollowing health proessionals

and scientists.

Dr. Richard Schwartz

USA, [email protected]

Diana Blicharski M.D.Assistant Proessor, USA

[email protected]

Khanhmei Wong, DPM

USA, [email protected]

Professor Peter Mensz

Research Scientist, Geophysicist,

Poland, [email protected]





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INTRODUCTIONWhat we eat is important in the creation and prevention o majordiseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obes-

ity. The detrimental eects o saturated ats and lack o bre are

well documented in high prole studies, such as the European Pro-spective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC), the largest study o dietand health ever undertaken (over 500,000 participants rom 10 Eu-ropean countries over a 5 - 15 year period), and many other studiesin respected scientic publications; these studies also show that agood diet including ruits and vegetables can be a powerul weap-on or the prevention, even reversal, o chronic illness.

Related to our health and diet is the pressing issue o climate

change. In the report, ‘Managing the Health Eects o Climate

Change’, a joint commission between the Lancet and University Col-lege London (UCL), lead author, proessor Anthony Costello states:“there are major health benefts rom low-carbon liestyles, which can

reduce obesity, heart and lung disease, diabetes and stress” (UCL News

2009). Our ood choices, which are a contributory actor to majorchronic diseases, also have a direct impact on climate change andour planet’s nite resources; similarly, climate change has direct andindirect impacts on human health.

This paper summarises the medical evidence which links the dra-

matic rise o major chronic disease worldwide to high intakes o saturated ats and animal protein, and the reversal o these oncea healthul diet containing more vegetables, grains and legumes isadopted. It also highlights how these same ood choices can havea very signicant impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGEs) andclimate change. The paper shows how eating urther down theood chain is not only more sustainable and supports good health,but is also one o the quickest and most eective ways that we canhelp mitigate climate change – more than by reducing emissions

rom transport. It is hoped that through government leadership vi-tal plans can be promptly adopted or the implementation o suchdietary measures or the benet o people’s health, national econo-mies and or addressing the many environmental crises we are allacing.



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HEALTH

OVERVIEW

National and International FiguresIn the UK, around 70,000 ewer people would die prematurely each

year i diets matched nutritional guidelines on ruit and vegetable,saturated at, added sugar and salt intake (Strategy Unit 2008). TheEPIC Study has ound that diets rich in ruit and vegetables are as-sociated with reduced mortality (Am J Clin Nutr 2007). Globally,the WHO has stated: “Low intake o ruit and vegetables is estimated

to cause about 31 percent o ischaemic heart disease, 11 percent o

strokes worldwide and 19 percent o gastrointestinal cancers. Overall,

2.7 million deaths are attributable to low ruit and vegetable intake” (WHO 2004).

Dietary FactorsData show a major change in diet at a global level since the middleo the twentieth century whereby traditional, largely plant-baseddiets have been replaced by high at, energy dense diets that are mi-cronutrient poor, with a substantial content o animal based oods(WHO/FAO 2003). This change, as well as an increase in sedentaryliestyles and smoking, has had disastrous eects on health, with theburden o chronic disease rapidly increasing worldwide. Many stud-

ies have implicated dietary actors in chronic disease: according to

the WHO, a diet insucient in ruit and vegetables is an independ-ent risk actor or cardiovascular disease and cancer, including lung,stomach, colorectal and oesophageal cancers (WHO Media Centre

2007, CVD). In 2001, chronic disease caused approximately 60% o the 56.5 million reported deaths in the world and 46% o the globalburden o disease (WHO 2002). Cardiovascular disease accounts oralmost hal o chronic disease deaths; obesity and diabetes are onthe rise and appearing earlier in lie (WHO/FAO 2003). The rapid in-crease in chronic disease is not limited to developed regions: devel-

oping countries are also plagued (WHO 2002). It has been estimated

that by 2020, chronic disease will account or almost three quarterso all deaths worldwide (WHO 1998). Yet chronic diseases are largelypreventable, and primary prevention is considered to be the mostcost-eective and sustainable course o action (WHO/FAO 2003).

There is strong evidence that vegetables and ruits are protective,whilst the rapid worldwide growth in meat consumption (which ac-counts or nearly one th o global GGEs) is both directly contrib-uting to certain diseases and exacerbating climate change (Lancet

2007). However, although the consumption o ruits and vegeta-bles plays a vital role in chronic disease prevention, at present onlya small minority o the world’s population consumes their recom-mended average intake (WHO/FAO 2003).



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Costs o ill HealthDiet-related ill health costs the UK National Health Service (NHS)£6 billion each year (J Epidemiol 2005). With the increase in majorchronic diseases, medical costs are on the rise and those attribut-able to meat eating are substantial. The Physicians Committee or

Responsible Medicine in the USA estimated that between $29-61billion spent on US healthcare in 1992 was linked to meat con-sumption, adding that the cost would likely have been higher i stroke and other arterial disease had been included (Science Direct

1995).

ObesityObesity has reached pandemic proportions. There are at least 400million obese adults and over 1.5 billion overweight people (age 15+)

in the world; at least 20 million children under the age o 5 are over-weight. The WHO estimates that 10% o children and 20% o adults inEurope and Central Asia will be obese by 2010 unless action is taken.In England, almost 1 in 4 adults are obese, and i it remains unchecked,by 2050, 9 in 10 adults will be overweight or obese. Worldwide, about2.5 million deaths annually are attributed to overweight/obesity (WHO

Media Centre 2006, Obesity).

Costs o obesity are considerable: the NHS in the UK spends £4.2 bil-lion/year on overweight/obesity, orecast to more than double by

2050. The cost to the economy is £16 billion/year, predicted to rise to£50 billion by 2050 (DoH, Obesity).

Risk actors or obesity and overweight are rising dramatically (WHO

Media Centre 2006, Obesity), but overweight, obesity and related chron-ic diseases are largely preventable (WHO Media Centre 2006, Obesity). Amove rom saturated to unsaturated ats, increasing consumption o

ruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts, limit-ing sugar and increasing physical activity are recommended measuresor prevention and control (WHO Media Centre 2006, Obesity). Choles-terol lowering oods, including viscous bres (eg, bres rom oats andbarley) and plant sterols, increase the eectiveness o diet in treatinghypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol) (JAMA 2003).

DISEASES



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Cardiovascular Disease

Globally, around 17.5 million people died rom cardiovascular dis-ease (CVD) in 2005: some 30% o all deaths. By 2015, the number

o deaths rom CVD is expected to be about 20 million (WHO Media

Centre 2007,CVD). It is the world’s number one killer. CVD also plac-es a heavy burden on national economies: it is estimated that Chi-na will lose $558 billion in national income rom 2006-2015, due toheart disease, stroke and diabetes (WHO Media Centre 2007, CVD).

Causes o CVD are well established: the most important are un-healthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. At least 80% o

premature deaths rom heart disease and stroke could be avoidedthrough healthy eating, regular physical activity and avoiding to-

bacco smoke (WHO/FAO 2003).

A prospective study o over 6,000 participants examined the asso-ciation o ruit and vegetable intake with longevity. The study rec-ommended consuming 5-9 portions a day, associating this with alower risk o all-cause, cancer, and CVD death (Am J Epidemiol 2004).Observational studies have ound that those consuming largeamounts o ruit and vegetables have less coronary heart disease

and stroke (J Cardiovasc Risk 1999, Int J Epidemiol 1997). The IndianExperiment o Inarct Survival (IEIS) ound a low at diet enriched

with ruit, vegetables, nuts and grains, compared with a standardlow at diet, was associated with about 40% reduction in cardiacevents and 45% reduction in mortality ater one year (BMJ 1992).

DiabetesDiabetes has rapidly become a global pandemic. More than 180million people worldwide have diabetes. This gure is expectedto more than double by 2030 without intervention. In 2005, anestimated 1.1 million people died rom diabetes. However, takinginto account deaths in which diabetes was a contributory condi-

tion (such as kidney ailure or heart disease), this gure increasesto 2.9 million deaths per year (WHO Media Centre 2008, Diabetes).

Type II diabetes comprises 90% o people with diabetes aroundthe world. Until recently, this type o diabetes was seen only inadults but it is now also occurring in obese children. Type II dia-betes, being a partly nutritional disease, is substantially prevent-

able and sometimes reversible through nutritional methods andregular exercise.



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The EPIC Study (Norolk), with nearly 22,000 participants and a 12year ollow up, was the rst large population-based prospectivestudy to report that an energy-dense diet is positively associatedwith incident diabetes independently o baseline BMI, total energy

intake and other risk actors (Am Diab Assoc 2008). Another pro-spective study involving 42,500 male participants with 12 years o ollow up concluded that total and saturated at intake was associ-ated with a higher risk o type II diabetes (not independent o BMI)and that requent consumption o processed meats may increaserisk (Am Diab Assoc 2002).

A 17 year prospective cohort study, involving over 8,000 people,concluded that a long-term diet including at least weekly meatintake, compared to a vegetarian diet (zero meat), was associated

with a 74% increase in odds o diabetes; even ater controlling orweight and weight change, meat intake remained an importantrisk actor (Ann Nutr Metab 2008). A comparison between vegetar-ian and non-vegetarian diets comprising over 60,000 participantsover a 4 year period concluded that vegetarian diets were protec-tive against type II diabetes ater liestyle and BMI were taken intoaccount (Am Diab Assoc 2009).

Diet trials and cohort studies have supported vegetarian diets orincreased consumption o plant oods in the prevention o diabe-tes. Plant-based diets which contain a portolio o natural productsand ood orms benet both the carbohydrate and lipid abnormali-ties in diabetes. The use o soy protein, whole grain cereals andlegumes, nuts and viscous bres have been shown to be advan-tageous or prevention and treatment o type II diabetes and its

complications, such as cardiovascular and renal disease (Am J Clin

Nutr 2003).

CancerCancer is a leading cause o death worldwide, accounting or 7.4million deaths in 2004; this gure is projected to rise, with an esti-mated 12 million deaths in 2030. Lung, stomach, colorectal, liver,and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year. Morethan 30% o cancer deaths could be prevented by avoiding key risk actors, which include tobacco and alcohol use, being overweight,

low ruit and vegetable intake and physical inactivity (WHO Media

Centre, Cancer 2009).

The EPIC Study has ound that bowel cancer risk increases by a thirdor people who consume two daily 80g portions o red or processed



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meat, compared with those who eat just 20g a day (J Natl Cancer

Inst 2005). The World Cancer Research Fund recommends reducingconsumption o red and processed meats in its 2007 report, stat-ing them to be a convincing cause o colorectal cancer (WCRF and

AICR 2007); and a meta-analysis o prospective studies publishedthrough March 2006 also conrmed that high consumption o redand processed meat is associated with increased risk o colorectalcancer (Int J Cancer 2006). There is growing evidence linking redmeat to pancreatic and stomach cancers: EPIC ound that peopleeating over 100g o meat a day had over 3 times the risk o stomachcancer (J Natl Cancer Inst 2006), while another study, involving over

500,000 individuals over 5 years, ound that those consuming mostred or processed meat have a 40-50% higher risk o pancreatic can-cer (Cancer Epidemiol 2007). Prostate cancer is associated with the

intake o animal at, especially at rom red meat, which was theconclusion o a prospective study involving 51,000 participants (J

Natl Cancer Inst 1993). Breast cancer has also been associated withsaturated at intake, by a study o over 13,000 women over a ouryear period (Lancet 2003a).

There is a urther health risk associated with meat consumption:

cooking meat at high temperatures (eg. by rying) which producesHeterocyclic Amines (HAs) which are associated with increased risk

o colorectal adenoma (Cancer Res 2005). Another study supportsthe association between HA exposure and diet related tumours(Mutat Res 1997).

To protect against cancer, many studies have demonstrated thepositive eect o an increased intake o ruits, vegetables and bre.Intake o high bre oods was ound by EPIC scientists to reducerisk o bowel cancer by 40%, or those who doubled their bre in-take rom a low average (Lancet 2003b); many large studies con-rm these ndings. EPIC has also ound that a diet rich in ruit and

vegetables reduces the risk o mouth and oesophageal cancers(Cancer Causes Control 2006) and showed an inverse associationbetween ruit consumption and lung cancer risk (Int J Cancer 2004).Evidence rom the Greek EPIC cohort study shows that consump-tion o vegetables and ruits is inversely associated with the inci-dence o cancer overall (Cancer Epidemiol 2008).

These ndings clearly reveal that meat consumption is a contribu-tory and signicant risk actor in cancer, and that increasing con-sumption o ruit and vegetables is important in its prevention.



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Swine FluSwine Flu, now with over 255,000 ocially reported cases world-wide, has highlighted the exposure o humans to animal patho-gens. The pandemic has been linked by experts to actory arms,which are perect breeding grounds or new viruses such as H1N1,the genetic lineage o which has been traced to a strain that

emerged in US actory arms in 1998, when it spread and mutatedat an alarming rate (Wired Science 2009).

A comprehensive report by the Pew Commission, USA, on Indus-trial Farm Animal Production has stated that IFAP practices are acause o concern to human health. The potential or pathogentranser rom animals to humans is increased in IFAP because so

many animals are raised together in conned areas. The Commis-sion states that ‘The continual cycling o viruses and other animalpathogens in large herds or focks increases opportunities or the

generation o novel viruses through mutation or recombinantevents that could result in more ecient human-to-human trans-mission’ (Pew Commission).

The World Organisation or Animal Health (OIE) tells us that 60% o human pathogens and 75% o recent emerging diseases, includ-ing TB, are zoonotic (OIE 2005). All areas o meat, poultry, egg, and

dairy production (e.g. meat transportation and processing, animalrendering, manure handling practices) can contribute to ood con-

tamination and zoonotic disease (Env H Persp 2007). Several highprole recalls involving E. Coli O157:H7 and Salmonella serve asreminders o the risk.

In the United States, approximately 73,000 illnesses each year,leading to over 2,000 hospitalisations and 60 deaths, are caused byE. Coli O157:H7 inection (Emerg Inect Dis 1999). Costs associatedwith E. Coli O157:H7–related illness are estimated at $405 millionannually (J Food Protec 2005). Consumption o ood and water con-taminated with animal wastes is a major route o human inection.



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DIET, DISEASE AND

GLOBAL WARMING

Other meat-related diseases which can be atal, such as CJD, Blue Tongue Disease, Avian fu and Listeriosis, have also been a cause o increased concern, and question the saety o eating meat. Meatrecalls around the world are becoming more requent with millions

o kilos o meat ound to be contaminated.

The Link Data show that the sharp increase in meat production and con-sumption in the last 50 years has not only been linked to chronicdisease reaching pandemic proportions (WHO/FAO2003), but hasalso caused environmental devastation, responsible or our plan-

et’s dwindling resources o land and water, urther threateningood security, among other things.

The recent report o a year-long commission held by the Lancet

and University College London, ‘Managing the Health Eects o Cli-mate Change’, states that governments need to address patternso ood consumption. “One starting point is to defne and promote

a sustainable diet, which could mean reductions o the incidence o

heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. R K Pachauri, chair o the

IPCC, recently suggested that a reduction in meat consumption would

be a practical and helpul way or an individual to contribute to low-er greenhouse gas emissions. Such policy would lead to reductions

in colorectal cancer and, probably, ischaemic heart disease” (Lancet

2009).

Many sectors contribute to global warming. However, one sectoris the largest producer o two o the most signicant GreenhouseGases (GHGs), methane and nitrous oxide, both much more potentthan carbon dioxide (UN FAO 2006). This sector is also our singlelargest user o land and water; a major cause o deorestation,wide-scale land degradation and species loss; and a major pollutero our rivers, oceans and drinking supplies: it is animal agriculture.

The UN’s 2006 report, ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’, cites livestock

production ‘as one o the most signifcant contributors to the world’s

most pressing environmental problems, at every scale rom local to

global’ (UN FAO 2006).

The link between an unhealthy, and unsustainable diet and themajor chronic diseases o today, hangs obtrusively over an im-

pending and certain global threat – climate change. Never beorehave global awareness regarding the ull detrimental health andenvironmental impacts o meat consumption and a concerted e-ort towards a sustainable and healthy eating regimen, which re-



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duces and/or eliminates meat rom our diet, been o more impor-tance, regardless o the wider habitual dietary practices.

Continuing TrendMeat is the principal component in most people’s diet, and as suchis a main source o protein and iron or the majority: it has becometradition to serve certain meat dishes in many cultures. Meat is alsoa source o high saturated at, lacks bre and some micronutrients,

and i not organic, contains a multitude o chemicals, antibiot-ics and hormones, all detrimental to human health. High prolestudies such as EPIC and others clearly cite the eects o too muchsaturated at and lack o bre, absence o sucient ruit and veg-etables in the diet and physical inactivity as contributory risk actorsto many o our chronic but largely preventable diseases; statisticsrom WHO show this trend is likely to continue unless concerted ac-tion is taken.

Most people do not know they are able to replace protein rom ani-

mal fesh with protein rom pulses, grains, nuts and vegetables withtheir many advantages and without detrimental health eects.

Future Growth and SubsidiesLivestock production is a signicant contributor to GHGs and amain cause o climate change; it is also the astest-growing agricul-tural sub-sector. Global meat consumption has increased ve¬oldsince the 1950s; by 2050, it is expected to be more than double thato 1999. Growing demand or meat is having a serious detrimen-tal impact on our health and the environment, and the FAO warns:

“The environmental costs per unit o livestock production must becut by one hal, just to avoid the level o damage worsening beyondits present level” (UN FAO 2006).



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GLOBAL WARMING

FACTS

Despite this very real threat to the planet and its inhabitants, hugesubsidies are given or meat production every year: EU interven-tions and direct support to the livestock industry in 2007 cost over3.5 billion Euros. This gure does not include the nancial aid givenor marketing (GUE/NGL 2007).

I the meat industry ulls its predicted growth, with staunch mon-etary support rom governments, we must be prepared or seriousadverse consequences with regard to global health, nancial costsand runaway (uncontrollable) global warming.

Efects o Greenhouse GasesIn discussions about GGEs, emphasis has mainly been put on car-bon dioxide, the most abundant GHG in the atmosphere. How-ever, methane, the second most prevalent GHG, has shown somedisproportionately rapid increase in recent human history: globalmethane has risen by 148% over the past 255 years, while carbondioxide emissions increased by 35% over the same period o time(IPCC 4th Assessment). Since methane has 72 times the globalwarming potential (GWP) o carbon dioxide, over a 20 year period(IPCC 4th Assessment 2007), its sharp increase could have devastat-

ing impact.

As a result o rising temperatures, large areas o permarost are nowmelting and the subsequent release o methane is a “ticking timebomb”. Frozen bubbles in Siberian lakes are releasing methane atrates “ve times higher than previously estimated.” This could cre-ate an uncontrollable eedback eect, dramatically warming theatmosphere, which would in turn warm the land, lakes and seabed,urther melting the permarost and releasing more methane. Oncethat threshold is reached, there will be nothing humans can do to

reverse it (Nature 2006). Research at the University o Alaska, USA,has shown that a two to three-degree rise in air temperature couldcause the Arctic tundra to change rom an area o carbon sink toone o carbon source releasing into the atmosphere carbon diox-ide, methane and other gases (Science Daily 2008).

The ast release o methane into the Earth’s atmosphere 55 millionyears ago caused rapid warming and mass extinction, disruptingthe climate or more than 100,000 years. Another catastrophe, 251

million years ago, came close to destroying nearly all lie on Earthdue to the release o methane (Energy Bulletin 2004).



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The very quality o methane that makes it so damaging also pointsto a quick and eective way to halt global warming – by signi-cantly reducing anthropogenic methane; the primary source o which is livestock production. However powerul it is, with a netlie cycle o 8.4 years in the atmosphere (c.. carbon dioxide, 100 -1000 years) and reduced warming potential in longer time rames,any reduction in methane can quickly translate into alleviation o the warming eect.

Overall, livestock production contributes to 9% o global anthropo-

genic carbon dioxide emissions, 37% o anthropogenic methane

emissions and 65% o nitrous oxide emissions, the latter having 275times GWP o carbon dioxide over 20 years (UN FAO 2006). Overall,the GHGs produced by the livestock sector account or about 80%o emissions rom agriculture, and nearly one th (18%) o totalGGEs rom human activities (UN FAO 2006). This is calculated overa 100-year period and the gure does not take into account trans-portation, rerigeration in transport or the amount o energy usedat home or storing meat.

Emissions & Diet

A study commissioned by Foodwatch, conducted at the Instituteor Ecological Economy Research in Germany, compared the GGEso meat versus non-meat consumption. The study ound the emis-sions attributable to an average meat-containing diet over oneyear were equivalent to driving a mid-sized car 4,758 kilometres(nearly 3,000 miles). A vegetarian diet was ound to reduce theseemissions by hal, while an animal-ree vegan diet produced lessthan 1/7th the GHGs o a meat diet, representing emission savingso 86%. An organic vegan diet was calculated to reduce emissions

by 94%. The study, which took into account animals’ methane pro-duction, eed and ertilizer manuacture, concluded: “Production

and consumption, frst and oremost, o bee and milk must be cut

drastically” (Foodwatch 2008).

Another paper shows that avoiding meat or just one day a week in the UK would prevent 13 megatons o carbon dioxide emission.

This is a greater carbon saving than taking 5 million cars o theroad (10.4 megatons o carbon dioxide), and almost equal to re-

placing a billion conventional light bulbs with low-energy ones

(Inst Env Studies 2008).



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Locally Sourced FoodWhilst locally sourced ood has obvious environmental advantageso ewer “ood miles”, our ood choices have a greater environmen-

tal impact than buying locally sourced ood. A comprehensiveaudit o the GGEs o our ood choices, comparing transportationvs ood production emissions has shown that locally sourced ooddoes not have a signicant impact on GGEs because the emissionsassociated with ood are dominated by the production phase, notby its transportation. The report concludes that dietary shit is amore eective means o lowering carbon ootprint than buying lo-cally, and “shiting less than one day per week’s consumption o red

meat and/or dairy to other protein sources or a vegetable based diet

could have the same climate impact as buying all household ood

rom local providers” (Carnegie Mellon University 2008).

Land and Water Use

One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water;more than 2 billion do not have proper sanitation. The UN Food andAgriculture Organization (UN FAO) estimates that by 2025, there

Agriculture as Climate KillerGreenhouse effect from different kinds of eating habits,

per capita and per annum, presented in car kilometres*

Veganism

281 km

629 km

Organic Farming

Conventional Farming

Vegetarianism

1978 km

2427 km

Diet includes Meat

4377 km

4758 km

*equivalent to the CO2

emissions of a BMW 118d with 119g CO2

/kmSource: Foodwatch



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will be 1.8 billion people living with absolute water scarcity, and2/3 o the world’s population could be living under water-stressedconditions (UN FAO 2006). With global population expected toreach 8.1 billion by 2030, 14% more resh water would be requiredor agriculture to keep pace with the growing demand or ood (UN

FAO News 2007). But even now, the global amount o resh wateravailable per person is alling rapidly (UNEP 2002).In the ace o such scarcity, water usage continues where it is leastsustainable. The raising o livestock, particularly the productiono animal eed, “consumes large amounts o critically important

water resources and competes with other usages and users” (UN

FAO 2006). A report presented to the UN, ‘Saving Water: From Fieldto Fork’ shows that 70% o global resh water is used in agricul-ture, and most o that is used or livestock production. Industry ac-counts or 20% and households only 10% (SIWI and IWHI 2008). Theamount o water per kilo required to produce ood groups such asmeat and dairy can be 10 times that required or grains and veg-etables (SIWI and IWHI 2008). In the United States, the ratio is evengreater: 1kg o animal protein requires about 100 times more waterto produce than 1kg o grain protein (Am J Clin Nutr 2003).

•1kg of beef requires 5,000 – 20,000 litres of water

• 1 kg of wheat requires 500 – 2,000 litres of water

Meat production also uses up to 20 times more land than grainand vegetables to support the same number o people (WHO/FAO

2003).

One hectare o land produces:

• potatoes 22 people

• rice 19 people

•lamb 2 people

• beef 1person

Hence, meat production uses the majority o agricultural land(70%) – which can be rendered inertile or years due to overgraz-ing, compaction and erosion. Seventy percent o all grazing land indry areas is considered to be degraded (UN FAO 2006).

The livestock industry is the single largest user o land and water

in the world (UN FAO 2006). Our diminishing reserves o land and

water cannot sustain a growing human population while mainlybeing used or, and damaged by, the raising o 58 billion livestock each year (FAOSTAT).

for



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Food Insecurity There are more than 1 billion people in the world who do not haveenough to eat. Hunger claims 25,000 lives every day and every sixseconds a child dies o hunger. (WFP Hunger Stats). Meanwhile,760 million tons o grain are ed to animals every year (UN FAO Food

Outlook 2008). During 2007-2008, 36% o the global grain utilisedwas to eed animals, whilst 47% was used or eeding humans, and5% used on bio-uel (UN FAO Crop 2008). During the same periodabout 70% o the global soya consumption was in the orm o ani-

mal eed whilst only 16% was used or humans (USDA Review 2008).

Farm animals are inecient converters o plants to edible fesh be-cause much o their ood is converted into energy or movement,used or the growth o body parts not eaten by people or excretedas manure. It takes more than 10 kg o grain to produce 1 kg o bee, 4 to 5.5 kg o grain to produce 1 kg o pork, and 2.1 to 3 kgo grain to produce 1 kg o poultry meat (USDA AgStats 2008). Thisis based on net live-weight production o meat. I measured byconsumable ready-to-cook weight, the ratio would be even higher.

In its report ‘Environmental Food Crisis’, the United Nations Envi-

ronment Programme (UNEP) has estimated that in 2050 “...eedingthe cereals to animals instead o using the cereals directly as human

ood represents the annual calorie need or more than 3.5 billion peo-

ple” (UNEP 2009). Similarly, the UN FAO has stated: “Livestock con-

sume more edible human protein than they produce” (UN FAO 2006) .Raising animals or human consumption is one o the major causeso world hunger (EVANA).

DeorestationEvery year, 17 million hectares o tropical rainorest is destroyed (RIC). Seventy percent o the Amazon’s deorestation is due to making pas-ture land or cattle, and a large part o the remainder is used or eedcrops (FAO 2006).

Forests play a key role in mitigating climate change. Apart rom stor-ing carbon, they act as a climate buer, generate rainall, store water,stabilise the soil, maintain biodiversity and much more (GCP). Deci-mating them or pasture has a very high environmental cost. Every

year about 2.4 billion tons o carbon dioxide is released into the atmos-

phere as a result o deorestation or livestock maintenance (UN FAO2006). By 2010 cattle are projected to be grazing on some 24 millionhectares o neo-tropical land that was orest in 2000 (UN FAO 2006).



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The declaration signed by 300 climate experts at the 2007 United Na-tions Conerence in Bali says: “I we lose the orests, we lose the fght

against climate change.”

Species ExtinctionsIn 306 o the 825 terrestrial eco-regions identied by the World-wide Fund or Nature, livestock are identied as “a current threat”,while 23 o Conservation International’s 35 “global hotspots orbiodiversity” - characterized by serious levels o habitat loss - areaected by livestock production. The International Union or Con-servation o Nature (IUCN) estimates that species loss today is1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the expected natural extinctionrate. Livestock production is a major culprit, contributing to all themost important direct drivers o biodiversity loss, such as climate

change, habitat change, invasive alien species, and pollution (UN

FAO 2006).

Tropical orests hold hal o the world’s species and many have be-come or are becoming extinct at an alarming rate, largely or meat

production. The ew species o animal raised or meat and milk now account or about 20% o the total terrestrial animal biomass,and this proportion is still growing ‘invasively’. “The sheer quantity

o animals being raised or human consumption is a threat to the

Earth’s biodiversity” (UN FAO 2006).

Raising animals or the production o meat is also responsible or64% o global Ammonia emissions (UN FAO 2006), contributing toacid rain and aecting biodiversity.

The current rapid loss o biodiversity is a cause o grave concern. The IUCN has warned that lie on Earth is disappearing ast and willcontinue to do so unless urgent action is taken.



22

The Move Towards Plant-based AlternativesIn their most recent and extensive position on the subject, theAmerican Dietetic Association has conrmed that a healthy veganor vegetarian diet is appropriate or all stages o lie, including dur-ing pregnancy, lactation, inancy, childhood, adolescence and orathletes (ADA 2009). The ADA states that: “appropriately planned

vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are health-

ul, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefts in the pre-

vention and treatment o certain diseases” (ADA 2009).

They report that vegetarians have a lower body mass index, lower

blood cholesterol, lower blood pressure and rates o clinical hy-pertension, less type II diabetes, and a lower incidence o prostateand colon cancer. Vegetarians also have lower rates o death romischaemic heart disease (ADA 2009). A vegetarian diet preventsmeat-related diseases and can reverse some o them: Researchover the last 30 years has demonstrated that coronary atheroscle-rosis can be reversed through comprehensive liestyle changes,including a vegetarian diet; and more recently, a randomized con-

trolled trial showed that comprehensive liestyle changes may stopor reverse the progression o prostate cancer (JAMA 1998). The

American Journal o Clinical Nutrition has also published studiesshowing the benets o a vegetarian diet in the prevention andtreatment o type II diabetes as well as its signicant impact on car-diovascular disease (Am J Clin Nutr 2003).

A study earlier this year by the Netherlands Environmental As-sessment Agency ound a global ood transition to less meat, oreven a complete switch to plant-based oods could wipe 80%, or

US$ 32 trillion, o the cost o ghting climate change. Hence, di-etary changes could play an important role in climate change miti-gation policies (New Scientist 2009) as well as preventing chronicdisease. In addition, decreases in meat production/consumptionwould almost immediately reduce the eects o methane as rumi-nant animals can be removed rom production in as little as 1-2years and methane cycles out o the atmosphere in about 8 years,whilst the lietime o cars and power plants, etc, can be decades,and carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere or centuries. Intro-ducing new techniques and urther research into cutting methane

emission rom livestock would take many years and a cut in carbon

dioxide involves ghting powerul and wealthy business interestswhile vegetarian oods are readily available at every mealtime(Earth Save International 2005).

DIET FOR

GOOD HEALTH AND

SUSTAINABILITY



23

The trend toward plant-based oods has already gained momen-tum as consumers learn about meat’s harmul eect on health andthe environment. Reducing or eliminating animal products romour diet has major health benets, will save billions o dollars inhealthcare and climate change costs and has the added benet o being the quickest, most eective way to curb methane emissions.

In a 2007 article in the Lancet, analysing the link between livestock,energy, climate change and health, the authors advocate reduc-

ing the average worldwide consumption level o animal products

and the intensity o emissions rom livestock production (Lancet 2007). A recent WHO/FAO report recommends the consumptiono a minimum o 400g o ruit and vegetables per day (excludingstarchy tubers) or the prevention o chronic disease as well as orthe prevention and alleviation o several micronutrient decien-cies (WHO 2004).

Many steps are being taken to curb climate change all over theworld, such as the use o renewable energy, eco riendly cars and

aeroplanes, recycling and planting trees, to name a ew. Even the

meat and dairy industries are moving to reduce their environmen-tal ootprint through less packaging, improving uel eciency, re-ducing water use, etc. Clearly, all o these are important and muchneeded. Yet, even collectively, they are not sucient to resolve theenvironmental crisis we are acing now within a short time-rame,i we continue to raise 58 billion animals or human consumptionevery year (FAOSTAT). Nor would a continuation o current levelso meat consumption reduce the worldwide pandemic o chronicdisease. Increasing scientic evidence shows that the high satu-

rated ats and lack o bre in meat not only have a direct role in theincrease in major chronic diseases, but also, animal agriculture inits current levels o production is literally stripping the planet o itsnite resources, as well as having a major role in global warming,aecting many eco-systems. Furthermore, the rearing o billions o animals in actory arms is breeding new and virulent pathogens,as evidenced by the recent pandemic o Swine fu, posing an evengreater threat to human health and lives.

SOLUTIONS FOR

BETTER HEALTH

ANDENVIRONMENT

PRESERVATION



24

As Proessor Tim Lang, adviser to the UK Government on ood se-curity and tackling obesity, has said: “We’ve got to have new crite-

ria that take into account all the new concerns – sustainability, water

shortage, climate change, obesity, malnutrition and so on.” He advis-

es cutting down on eating animals and dairy oodstus to reducethe amount o GHGs produced in rearing livestock (Daily Telegraph

2008).

Based on the above studies showing how our dietary choices canhave a signicant impact on our health and well-being as well asan enormous impact on our planet’s resources and climate change,

governments can implement novel environmentally and economi-cally eective measures such as:

• Introduce an appropriate tax on meat to reect meat’s cata-

strophic impact on the environment;

• Stop subsidising the meat industry to show meat’s true cost

to the consumer;

• Subsidise organic arming o grains, vegetables and ruits

as the way orward or eeding a growing global population

and protecting the environment;

• Encourage a change towards a healthier plant-based diet by

educating people on the clear link between heart disease,

diabetes, obesity, some orms o cancer and the consump-

tion o meat;

• Proactively encourage change by providing healthy non-

meat options, including pulses and nuts with whole grains,

vegetables and ruits, in government institutes and public

service providers, such as hospitals and schools, showingtheir nutritional and health benefts as well as their lower

carbon ootprint.

Proactively encouraging individuals towards a more healthul dieto less animal proteins and ats through the above measures hasmulti-aceted advantages, desperately needed at this time – in the

ace o global health and environmental crises.





26

The diversity o the above studies (populations, diet, study design,types o intervention) points us to the ollowing compelling con-

clusions, that:

• the potential or disease prevention by improved nutrition,particularly a move towards reducing meat consumption anda move towards a healthul plant-based diet, is substantial.

• global warming can be most eectively curbed by a non-animaldiet, beore we reach ‘the point o no return’, to give us time to dealwith carbon dioxide.

The majority o people are largely unaware o the link between

meat consumption and its ull environmental devastation and det-rimental health impact. They are unaware o the short time let toavoid catastrophic climate change leading to mass extinctions. Attimes o global emergency they look to their government to takethe lead and to advise them accordingly. The people will ollowwhat governments propose, especially i it is good or them andnecessary or planetary survival.

At this time o planetary emergency, our governments and inter-national institutions need to legislate change, to lead the way and

to serve as an example, both as individuals and as a government.Based on scientic data, our leaders and institutions need to makevital policy changes and to acilitate these changes as quickly aspossible in many ways. People must be made aware o the direconsequences that await all o us i undamental changes are notmade urgently. We can no longer aord NOT to make these un-damental and urgent changes as a truly sustainable, eective solu-

tion to many o our global crises today.

Those in a position o authority and signicance can lead the way

in implementing vital measures or the survival o the planet.



27



28

Fish is linked to many health benets including protection romcardiovascular disease. Until the publication o DART-2 Trial in 2003(Eur J Clin Nutr 2003), evidence appeared to show that Omega 3 romoily sh or supplements reduced the risks o atal myocardial inarc-tion, sudden death and overall mortality among people with exist-ing disease (Am J Med 2002). Surprisingly, DART-2 did not conrmthis (Eur J Clin Nutr 2002) and more recently, in 2006, a high qual-ity systematic review was published in the British Medical Journal

which drew attention to uncertainties o comprehensive benets o consumption o Omega 3 ats (BMJ 2006). The claim that Omega 3ats reduce the risk o cancer was not supported either (JAMA 2006).Earlier in 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration suggested

that women o child-bearing age, pregnant women, nursing moth-ers and very young children should not eat long-lived predatorysh to minimize exposure to methylmercury (EPA/FDA 2004). Clear-ly, this is a eld in which knowledge is still evolving.

Mercury is only one o the dangerous toxins ound in sh. The US

Agency or Toxic Substances and Disease Registry documents highlevels o mercury exposure causing permanent damage to brain,kidneys and liver, even damaging the developing etus (ASTDR

2007). Fish, particularly predatory sh, such as swordsh, golden

bass and king mackerel, accumulate Polychlorinated Biphenyls(PCBs), dioxins and other toxic substances such as lead, arsenicand chromium in their fesh which reach levels that may be manythousands o times higher than in surrounding water. Dioxins, PCBs,cadmium, arsenic and mercury are all cited as possible carcinogens(ATSDR 2008).

Environmentally, overshing is the single greatest threat to the ma-rine environment and our eating habits are driving many aquatic

Appendix 1 FISH



29

species to the brink o extinction. Overall, 80% o global sh stocksare either ully exploited or overexploited. Only 20% o stocks aremoderately exploited or underexploited (UN FAO Fisheries 2009). It

is worth noting that 53% o global shmeal production is used bythe livestock sector or eed which is seriously aecting the world’ssh population (UN FAO 2006).

Aquaculture (sh arming) is not the solution. This practice consistsmainly o raising carnivorous sh, such as salmon, blue n tuna andsea bass, on a high protein diet o shmeal and sh oils. It takes 2.5– 5 kg o eed sh to make just 1 kg o armed carnivorous sh (UNEP

2009). In 2006, aquaculture accounted or 47% o the 110 million

tons o ood sh (UN FAO Fisheries 2009). Fish arming has increasedmore than seven old between 1980 and 2000. In order to meet thegrowing sh demand aquaculture will have to produce an addition-al 28.8 million tons (80.5 million tons overall), just to maintain per

capita sh consumption at current levels (UNEP 2009). This meansthat global sh stocks will be under even more pressure.

Due to increasing concern about the state o our oceans and sher-ies and the saety o eating sh, alternative sources o long chainpolyunsaturated atty acids (LCPUFAs) have been or are being de-

veloped. One such lipid is stearidonic acid (SDA), a naturally occur-ring (n-3) PUFA that may have similar biological properties to eicos-apentaenoic acid (EPA), a major (n-3) PUFA in sh oil. Existing andnovel plant sources rich in SDA are being cultivated and promoted

as potential alternatives to marine-based (n-3) PUFA (J Nutr 2009).

Given the state o severe crisis o our global sheries, the healthrisks in sh consumption and the incomplete knowledge surround-ing the health benets o sh consumption, it would seem respon-sible to rerain rom advocating to people in developed countries

that they increase their intake o long chain Omega-3 atty acidsthrough sh consumption.

Vegetarians lead healthy lives without the need to consume sh,

receiving their Essential Fatty Acids rom sources such as faxseed,rapeseed, soya, seeds and nuts, with spirulina and chlorella provid-ing valuable sources o EFAs and DHAs as well as a host o othernutrients.



30

REDUCING MEAT CONSUMPTION FOR

OPTIMUM HEALTH AND FOR THE PLANET

“When we kill the animals to eat them, they end up killing

us because their fesh, which contains cholesterol and sat-urated at, was never intended or human beings, who are

naturally herbivores.”William C. Roberts, M.D.,

Editor o The American Journal o Cardiology

“I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-bal-

anced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medi-

cally conservative to cut people open and put them on cho-

lesterol-lowering drugs or the rest o their lives.”

Dean Ornish, M.D.,

Director o Preventive Medicine Research Institute

“Under conditions o starvation, people must turn to an

all-plant diet, not being able to aord the ten-old loss o

energy that occurs when plants are ed to animals. In order

or us to make maximum use o the solar energy trapped by

plants, we must become mainly herbivorous.”

Raven, Evert and Eichorn, Biology o Plants, 4th edition, p 665

“The best solution would be or us all to become vegetarians.”

UN, Yvo de Boer,

Executive Secretary o Framework Committee on Climate Change

“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal

o all human evolution. Until we stop harming all other liv-

ing beings, we are still savages.” Thomas Edison, Inventor

Appendix 2



31

“Nothing will benet human health and increase chances o

survival or lie on earth as much as the evolution to a veg-

etarian diet.”Albert Einstein, Physicist, Nobel Prize 1921

“People oten say that humans have always eaten animals

as i this is a justication or continuing the practice. Accord-

ing to this logic, we should not try to prevent people rom

murdering other people, since this has also been done since

the earliest o times.”Isaac Bashevis Singer, Author, Nobel Prize 1978

“Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughter-

house and thinks: they’re only animals.”

Theodor Adorno, sociologist, Philosopher

“I am in avour o animal rights as well as human rights. That

is the way o a whole human being.”

Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President

“The greatness o a nation and its moral progress can be

judged by the way its animals are treated.”Mahatma Gandhi

“People ask me how I look so young. I tell them I look my

age. It is other people who look older, what do you expect

rom people who eat corpses?”George Bernard Shaw, Playwright

“As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battle-

elds.”Leo Tolstoy , Novelist



32

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“One of the most helpful is actually a vegetarian diet,

it produces much less greenhouse gasses than a meat diet.”

Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute or Space Studies

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Climate Change-sustainable Diet - The Connection and the Solution