Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Plant-based diets will help with climate change
2025-07-17
A major Australian medical group recentlyReportThe report, representing more than 15,000 experts, warned that climate change poses a major threat to human physical and mental health.Royal Australasian College of PhysiciansPublished aboutClimate change and healthas well asHealth benefits of climate change mitigationDetailed statement.
The statement said climate change poses a threat to human health but can be mitigated by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They listed reducing agricultural emissions as one of the key mitigation strategies most relevant to Australia and New Zealand. They emphasized that plant-based food production emits fewer emissions than animal products.
These statements list land clearing and livestock production as having significant impacts on both climate change and human health. Note that the vast majority of land clearing in Australia is for livestock production.
Other key points raised by the physician groups include:
“Widespread adoption of plant-based diets – diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in meat, eggs and dairy – would reduce deforestation and emissions from livestock. Plant-based diets are also associated with lower rates of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
“Deforestation and land clearing are major issues in Australia and New Zealand, where some of the world’s best CO2 sequestering forests are still being cleared. Maintaining forests and reducing land clearing also benefits biodiversity, air and water quality, recreational activities and mental health.
“Industrial urbanization is replacing traditional plant-based diets with diets high in refined sugars, fats, oils, and meat.
Excessive “red meat consumption [...] has been linked to increased rates of colon cancer, obesity, and heart disease.
“By switching to a plant-based diet, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and food production can be reduced”.
“Plant-based foods are less energy intensive to produce and produce fewer emissions than diets high in meat, especially processed meat.”
Plant-based diets have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Researchers estimate that by 2050, transitioning to a more plant-based diet (but still meeting standard guidelines) could reduce global mortality by 6-10% and food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 29-70%.
The College of Physicians plans to "raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet" and provide "the community with recommendations on healthy plant-based diets."
“RACP calls on the Australian and New Zealand governments to promote low-carbon food production systems.”
We applaud this respected medical organization for stating unequivocally that a plant-based diet is better for human health, both directly as food and indirectly as a way to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on humanity.