Global Diet Study Shows Cutting Meat Could Prevent Millions of Deaths and Slash Emissions

A study by the EAT‑Lancet Commission, published in *Nature*, models two scenarios for the world's food system up to 2050. The transformation scenario follows the Planetary Health Diet, which doubles fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes, while reducing animal‑product intake to about a quarter of current levels. The authors estimate the diet could avoid up to 15 million premature deaths each year and markedly lower greenhouse‑gas emissions, which today account for roughly one‑third of all emissions. Hermann Lotze‑Campen of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said, “Our study shows that continuing the current course is the more costly option.”

A separate analysis in *Nature Food* examined dietary emissions by age group in 149 countries from 2000‑2019. It found that individuals aged 11‑29 have the highest per‑capita climate impact from food, driven by higher calorie needs and diets richer in red meat, dairy, sugary drinks and processed foods. Seniors (60+) contribute the largest share of the total rise in food‑related emissions because of demographic aging, not because they eat more per person. The research highlights red meat as the strongest single driver of dietary emissions worldwide, with regional variations except in southern Africa and parts of Oceania.