Ecological Footprint of Vegetarian Diets

Keywords: ecological footprint, vegetarianism, diet
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 39

Abstract

The omnivore diet and the food systems surrounding it account for a substantial amount more greenhouse gas emissions than a vegetarian or vegan diet. Industrial agriculture creates significant environmental detriments through the means of livestock raising, poultry and dairy farming. Food schemes account for a third of total planetary greenhouse gases but while pushing for a change in the standard diet may create beneficial carbon offsets, other unprecedented challenges occur. While vegetarians in recent studies have a smaller carbon footprint than omnivores, a larger population practicing a vegetarian diet would cause demand for dairy and egg products to rise, thus increasing the already unsustainable practice of industrial agriculture and potentially eliminating environmental gains. Not just animal-based agriculture would be affected because increasing demands for fruits and vegetables would allow for unsustainable exploitation to meet demand of vegetarians. However, studies have shown that vegetarians increase pro-environmental behavior when forming community-based organizations with other vegetarians. The majority of vegetarians that have switched to such diet have cited ethical or health concerns but very few mentioned environmentalism. Sustainable practices through changes in diet will prove ineffective if a diet switch is campaigned to an unhealthy or ethically concerned audience. However, perhaps the biggest problem to the unsustainable omnivore diet is the inability to break cultural norms, and eliminate meat from the diet of consumers.