Switching to Plant- Based Diets Could Save More Than 200,000 Lives per Year Study Finds-EcoWatch

According to a recent study by an international team of researchers, shifting our diets to ones that are more plant-based could prevent as many as 236,000 premature deaths per year globally by improving air quality, according to The Conversation. It could also increase gross domestic product (GDP).

“Air pollution increases cardiovascular and respiratory-disease risk, and reduces cognitive and physical performance. Food production, especially of animal products, is a major source of methane and ammonia emissions which contribute to air pollution through the formation of particulate matter and ground-level ozone,” the authors of the study wrote. “Our findings suggest that incentivising dietary changes towards more plant-based diets could be a valuable mitigation strategy for reducing ambient air pollution and the associated health and economic impacts, especially in regions with intensive agriculture and high population density.”

According to a 2021 study, a third of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions come from food systems. If we do not mitigate them, these emissions will likely lead to a global temperature rise above the 1.5 degrees Celsius scientists have said is the limit to avoid the worst effects of climate change, The Conversation said previously.

“Dietary changes towards lower consumption of animal source foods… substantially reduced agricultural emissions — by 84–86% globally for the adoption of vegan diets, 69–70% for vegetarian diets, and 44–48% for flexitarian diets,” the new study said.

Agriculture not only impacts land use, but also adversely affects air quality, research has shown.

“The food system is a major cause of ambient air pollution, with significant impacts on human health. Of particular importance are ammonia emissions that are generated when manure and other fertilizers are handled and applied to fields. Through the formation of ammonium salts, ammonia contributes to the concentration of air-borne fine particular matter, including particles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5). Such particles are linked to a range of health impacts, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases,” the new study said.