Is A Vegetarian Diet Bad For The Environment?

A US study has claimed that eating a healthier diet rich in fruit and vegetable is more harmful to the environment than consuming some meat.

18:05 16 December 2015

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have analysed the impact per calorie of different foods in terms of energy cost, water use, and emission and they've concluded that eating a healthier diet rich in fruit and vegetables could actually be more harmful to the environment than consuming meat.

 

They added that lettuce is “over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon."

 

The study, which was published in the Environment Systems and Decisions journal, took into consideration how growing, processing, and transporting food take a toll on the environment for different food.

 

Paul Fischbeck, study co-author and CMU’s professor of social and decisions sciences, said: “Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than you would think.

 

“Eggplant, celery and cucumbers look particularly bad when compared to pork or chicken.”

 

Meanwhile, senior research fellow Anthony Froggatt at Chatham House, an independent think-tank, said that the results of the study were surprising.

 

He said: "We usually look at proteins rather than calories, and as a general rule it is still the case that reducing meat consumption in favour of plant-based proteins can reduce emissions."