Ranking and Results by 2050

• 66.11 gigatons reduced CO2
• Global savings and cost too variable to be determined

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. ” –Michael Pollan

The production of meat and dairy contributes many more CO2 emissions than producing vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. 15% more in direct emissions and 50% more with a direct and indirect emission combination.

Only 15% of our daily caloric intake needs to come from protein. A diet primarily of plants can meet that threshold. A groundbreaking study at the Universuty of Oxford in 2016 found that emissions could be cut by 70% per year by adopting a vegan diet and by 63% through adopting a vegetarian diet (includes cheese, milk, and eggs).

The study also found that global mortality would drop by 6% to 10% with the adoption of a vegan or vegetarian diet. As well, $1 trillion in health care costs would be saved and $ 30 trillion saved in relation to accounting for value of lives improved. Companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are creating plant based products to assist our meat-centric taste buds and palate. Omnivorous chefs are making the case for eating widely and with pleasure without meat. These chefs include ; Mark Bittman , journalist and author of “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian ” and Yotam Ottolenghi , restauranteur and author of “Plenty”.

We are as a culture reframing meat. Eating with a lighter footprint is a win-win, both reducing emissions and improving health. It will also do less damage to our freshwater resources and ecosystems by eliminating bulldozed forests. This solution is most powerful, as it is as close to us as our dinner plate.

— from the book “Drawdown” by Paul Hawken