The climate crisis, the health crisis and my prescription for fighting both 

As a doctor who also cares about the planet, I see how the health and climate crises are deeply interconnected through shared drivers like industrial agriculture, deforestation, resource exploitation and the impact of the food environment on dietary habits.

A way to combat this on both an individual and collective level is by adopting a vegan lifestyle and there is no better time to start than now. Every January is Veganuary, and it provides the perfect opportunity to get started, but you can get started any month of the year.

Plant-based diets are well-documented as having a lower environmental impact than diets rich in meat and dairy, and they are also linked to numerous health benefits.

Here are four key metrics why adopting a plant-based diet is a climate-conscious choice:  

1. Carbon Footprint

Livestock farming accounts for around 14.5% of global GHG emissions¹, comparable to emissions from all forms of transportation combined! Beef production is particularly problematic, emitting around 99 kg ofCO₂ equivalent per kilogram of meat, while lamb emits approximately 40 kg².In contrast, plant-based proteins like lentils and beans produce between 0.9and 2kg of CO₂ equivalent per kilogram². You can see how adopting a vegan diet for even a month can help an individual reduce their carbon footprint significantly. A 2021 study found that global adoption of plant-based diets could reduce food-related emissions by up to 70% by 2050³!

2. Land Use

Meat and dairy production require vast amounts of land, largely for grazing and growing feed crops. It is estimated that animal farming uses 77% of global agricultural land while providing only 18% of the world's caloric intake and only 37% global protein⁴. Deforestation for grazing particularly in regions like the Amazon rainforest, exacerbates biodiversity loss and releases massive amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere.  Switching to plant-based foods is much more land-efficient. For instance, producing one kilogram of beef requires 20 times more land than producing the same amount of potatoes or beans⁵.  

3. Water Use

Water scarcity is a growing global concern and animal agriculture is a major contributor. Producing one kilogram of beef requires over 15,000 litres of water, compared to just 1,800 litres for soybeans or 250litres for most vegetables⁶. Dairy production is also water-intensive with a single litre of milk requiring roughly 1,000 litres of water⁶. We often hear about how thirsty avocado and almond crops are but both are still well below meat and dairy production.Switching to plant-based foods can significantly lower an individual's water footprint. A study published in Science in 2018 concluded that a vegan diet could reduce water use in food production by up to 50% compared to a diet heavy in meat and dairy².  

4. Eutrophication

Eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients, primarily from fertilizers and animal waste, enter water bodies, causing algal blooms and dead zones. Livestock farming is a major driver of this phenomenon, with runoff from manure and feed crops contributing to widespread water pollution. Plant-based diets are associated with significantly lower eutrophication potential. For example, producing one kilogram of beef contributes to over 100 grams of phosphate-equivalent pollution, compared to just 1 gram for plant-based proteins like tofu⁶. Swapping out meat for healthy plant based proteins like tofu are not only better for your health but can also help protect aquatic ecosystems like rivers, lakes and oceans.

What about the health benefits?

It is no surprise that every medical institution in the world emphasises the intake of plant foods for human health. Plant based diets are rich in fibre, antioxidants, polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids whilst also being low in saturated fats. They have been consistently shown to be associated with lower rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease: the biggest killers of humans⁷. People who follow a plant-based diet have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes⁸and as beans, lentils and vegetables are low in calories, high in fibre and satiating, they provide a means for maintaining a healthy body weight. Meanwhile diets higher in animal products are associated with increased cardiovascular disease, higher rates of certain cancers and even greater risk of type two diabetes.

Industrial animal farming also poses some notable public health risks. The widespread use of antibiotics on densely packed livestock contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have a potential to spread not only amongst animals but also to humans, infections from these would be even more difficult to treat due to antimicrobial resistance⁹. The way these animals are kept also increases pandemic potential, with bird and swine flu being just two examples of zoonotic diseases that can be traced to farm animals¹⁰. Having worked in hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic, this is a crisis we absolutely have to avoid happening again.

Be part of something bigger: The collective impact of Veganuary

Participating in Veganuary is not just about personal dietary change—it’s about contributing to a larger movement. In 2023, over 700,000 people worldwide signed up for Veganuary, saving an estimated 100,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent, 6.2 million litres of water, and thousands of acres of forest¹¹. This collective action sends a powerful message to policy makers and to the food industry, encouraging systemic change toward more sustainable and health promoting food systems.   

By choosing plant-based foods, individuals can reduce their carbon footprint, conserve water, minimise land use and protect aquatic ecosystems. With growing awareness and availability of plant-based options, Veganuary offers an accessible entry point into sustainable eating. Together, these small changes can create a significant ripple effect, helping to pave the way for a more sustainable future.  

So why not give a plant-based diet a try? For the planet, for the animals, and for ourselves, and help us work towards a healthier and more sustainable world.

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Written by Dr Minil Patel.

Dr Minil Patel is a GP from London, currently based in Eastbourne, Sussex. He graduated from King’s College London with an MBBS and BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience in 2016. Minil has been vegan for ethical reasons since 2017 and since then has developed an interest plant-based nutrition as well as the power of lifestyle medicine in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease. He has completed the “Plant-Based Nutrition” course at the University of Winchester and has a PGCert in Medical Education from King’s College London. He is also an active member of Plant Based Health Professional’s UK. He is passionate about teaching others about plant-based nutrition, fitness and veganism using social media under the handle @drironjunkie

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References:

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations FAO. Livestock solutions for climate change,  2017. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i8098en

2. Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392),987-992.

3. Springmann, M., Godfray, H. C. J., Rayner, M.,& Scarborough, P. (2016). Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change co benefits of dietary change. Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences, 113(15), 4146-4151.

4. Hannah Ritchie (2021) - “If the world adopted a plant-based diet, we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1billion hectares” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from:'https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets'

5. G. W. M., Ranganathan, J., Vennard, D., Waite,R., Duman, P., Lipinski, B., & Searchinger, T. (2016). Shifting diets for a sustainable food future. World Resources Institute

6. Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, T., & Milo, R.(2014). Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdensof meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States. Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences, 111(33), 11996-12001.

7. Hu, F. B. (2003). Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: an overview. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 78(3), 544S-551S.

8. Toumpanakis, A., Turnbull, T., & Alba-Barba,I. (2018). Effectiveness of plant-based diets in promoting well-being in the management of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 6(1), e000534.

9. Aidara-Kane, Awa, et al. "World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals." Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control7 (2018): 1-8.

10. Preventing the next pandemic - Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission - United Nations Environment Programme, 2020

11. https://veganuary.com/veganuary-2023-in-review/