As the global population climbs toward ten billion and environmental pressures intensify, the connection between what we eat and the health of the planet is clearer than ever. Food production is a leading driver of environmental degradation, fueling climate change, deforestation, freshwater depletion, pollution, and biodiversity loss. In fact, agriculture is pushing us beyond at least seven of the nine planetary boundaries that define a safe operating space for humanity.

Our food choices affect ecosystems worldwide and are among the most powerful tools available to any individual trying to reduce their environmental footprint. While food is essential to survival, the way we’ve been producing and consuming it, especially in the form of animal products, is threatening the future of life on earth.

Agriculture is responsible for nearly 90 percent of global deforestation, over 70 percent of fresh water use, produces vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, and is the leading cause of biodiversity collapse. These impacts are disproportionately driven by animal agriculture, which uses 80 percent of the world’s agricultural land while providing only 17 percent of global calories.

Much of this environmental burden has been rationalized by the long-standing and misplaced belief that animal protein is essential for good health. But overwhelming evidence shows that animal protein is not necessary for optimal health; in fact, animal protein contributes to widespread chronic disease and premature mortality.

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To address this dual crisis of human and planetary health, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health released a report in 2019. The commission, a collaboration between The Lancet medical journal and the nonprofit EAT, brought together thirty-seven scientists from sixteen countries with expertise in nutrition, environmental sustainability, and public health. Their goal was to define a “universal reference diet” that could sustainably feed a global population of ten billion people by 2050.

The resulting EAT-Lancet diet proposes a flexible plant-forward eating pattern designed to reduce environmental impact and prevent chronic disease. It’s built around

• high intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
• moderate amounts of dairy and fish
• low amounts of red meat, poultry, and added sugars

Specifically, it recommends limiting red meat to about 14 grams per day, or roughly one burger per week, and emphasizes a dramatic increase in fiber- and antioxidant-rich whole plant-based foods, which make up 85 percent of the total diet.

The potential environmental benefits of adopting the EAT-Lancet diet are significant:

• Greenhouse gas emissions from food production could drop by up to 70 percent
• Agricultural land use could be halved
• Water withdrawals and nitrogen and phosphorus pollution would decline substantially
• Biodiversity loss would be slowed by reducing land clearing and pesticide use

However, the commission also acknowledges that this diet is a starting point, not an endpoint. A full shift to plant-based food systems could reduce environmental impacts even further and is the most sustainable dietary approach available.

Fully plant-based diets require less land, water, and energy and produce fewer emissions across every stage of production.

From a health perspective, the EAT-Lancet diet could prevent an estimated eleven million premature deaths per year, mostly through reductions in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and diet-related cancers.

That said, fully plant-based diets outperform the EAT-Lancet diet in terms of reducing the risk of chronic disease and improving overall health outcomes. Numerous studies show that whole-food plant-based diets are linked to

• lower rates of cardiovascular disease
• reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
• decreased incidence and mortality rates of certain cancers
• improved weight management and metabolic health

(Nutritional update for physicians: plant-based diets – PubMed)
(Effects of plant-based diets on plasma lipids – PubMed)

The EAT-Lancet diet represents a vital first step in transitioning to more sustainable and healthful eating patterns. It shows an increasing willingness in the mainstream scientific community to talk about the connections between what we eat and planetary and personal health. It provides a clear evidence-based path forward for individuals, policymakers, and food producers. Since its publication, hundreds of articles have been published in scientific journals to further the discourse around food and its impact on both the environment and health, the majority of which covered the report in positive ways.

But to truly meet the urgent challenges we face—climate instability, mass extinction, rising disease, and water scarcity—we must go further. A full transition to plant-based diets would not only eliminate the many health risks associated with animal product consumption but also help restore the planet’s life-support systems. As the science becomes clearer, the promise of fully plant-based diets, for the planet and for people, is reinforced.

Changing the way we eat is not just a personal choice. It’s a planetary imperative.