A new report on the world’s diet and food production systems suggests that plant-based or vegetarian diets could save up to 15 million lives every year and lower agricultural emissions by 15%. More importantly, without these adaptations to the way the planet eats, climate change is unavoidable, no matter other switches to clean energy, the EAT-Lancet Commission researchers say. What are the implications for travel and tourism?
Back in 2019, the first EAT-Lancet report put forward a “planetary health diet” in which grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes play the main role, and can reduce preventable diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as limiting agriculture’s impact on the environment by 15% thanks to a reduction in meat production’s planet-warming gases. In addition, if crop productivity were increased and food waste reduced, that figure could rise to 20%, the report said.
The latest update echoes those findings and addresses some criticisms, suggesting that humans should eat no more than one serving each of animal protein and dairy per day and no more than one portion of red meat per week.
“If we do not transition away from the unsustainable food path we’re on today, we will fail on the climate agenda. We will fail on the biodiversity agenda. We will fail on food security. We’ll fail on so many pathways,” said study co-author Johan Rockström, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
But when we are on the move, whether it’s a commute, a work trip abroad, or a vacation, there are many reasons why people’s good intentions when it comes to their diet and the planet go awry. From the difficulty of finding a plant-based food choice when one is in an unfamiliar place, to the temptation to treat oneself to a food item one would normally refrain from, travel can be a barrier to healthy choices for oneself and for the planet.
How seriously should we be taking EAT-Lancet’s advice? Some argue that the report’s stance on ultra-processed foods, for example, should be taken with a pinch of salt. FoodDrinkEurope, a food industry lobby group that has in the past opposed measures such as the introduction of a “Nutri-Score” on products, responded to the proposed planetary health diet by criticising the author’s views on “ultra-processed foods” and called for food policy to be based on scientific consensus. “All foods and drinks, including animal and plant-based products, have an important role to play in a healthy and sustainable diet, and shoring up food and nutrition security for an increasing global population,” FoodDrinkEurope said.
But before those excuses are rolled out, it’s important to note that when it comes to sustainability, it is widely acknowledged that high and middle income populations of developed countries that need to adapt the most. Researcher Emily Cassidy of climate science nonprofit Project Drawdown notes that if those populations reduced their beef and lamb consumption to once a week, it would bring their total emissions down to the equivalent of Russia’s.
What’s more, nearly 50% of the world’s population lacks adequate food. Set against this context, the difficulty for high and middle-income people of finding a vegetarian sandwich in a new city or a plant-based restaurant when on holiday seems like a small effort to make. And with the increase in well-being and plant-based eating holidays and restaurant options now on the market, eating altruistically could also be a pleasure.
