Documentary, Other
How could veganism change the world?
- The global population is projected to approach 10 billion by 2050, creating a need for approximately 60% more food while food-related emissions threaten to fill the entire budget required to avoid dangerous climate change levels by 2050.
- Shifting to a predominantly plant-based diet could reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by three quarters and bridge roughly three quarters of the gap to staying below dangerous climate thresholds, though a global transition to veganism by 2015 is cited as a hypothetical scenario achieving these results.
- Without large-scale dietary changes toward plant-based options, the probability of limiting global temperature rise to safe levels remains slim, as global meat consumption has grown at nearly 3% annually since 1960.
- While a global shift to veganism in 2050 is deemed unlikely based on historical trends, affordable alternatives may enable wealthy nations to reach peak meat consumption and decline thereafter.
- Transitioning away from animal agriculture could reduce premature and all-cause mortality by approximately 20% and save about $1 trillion USD in 2050 regarding healthcare costs for diet-related diseases.
- Future meat production may increasingly rely on machines, potentially driving slaughter animals toward extinction while leaving only wild chicken and wild pigs.