The Economics of Veganism

This article on Medium "The Economics of Veganism" summarises the findings of a 2016 study by the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, published by PNAS, which researched the health and climate benefits of dietary change.

The full study can be found here: Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change.

Summary of the findings:

• Health:

  • 8.1 million lives would be saved by 2050 if we became vegan.

  • $40bn (£30.6bn) would be saved globally in healthcare costs.

• Environment:

  • Food-related emissions would be cut by 70% if the world followed a vegan diet.

  • 15% more protein can be grown from plant-based sources than from meat on the same area of land.

  • World water consumption would fall by 30%.

  • Land use would fall by 45%.

  • 91% of Amazon destruction would be halted.