Changing Eating Habits Contributes to Lowering Pollution Levels

Certain eating habits not only harm us personally but also the entire planet, according to experts who encourage a diet with less meat and dairy. Halving meat and dairy consumption is one way society can contribute to reducing nitrogen pollution in the air, rivers, and soil, while simultaneously mitigating its impact on climate change, according to a report by the United Nations (UN). Nitrogen is a harmless gas in the atmosphere, but when combined with oxygen or hydrogen, it becomes a pollutant, harming the environment, killing wildlife, and poisoning our lungs. Additionally, it is a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Plants need nitrogen to grow, so farmers spread these chemicals over their fields to aid crop growth, but this process generates vast amounts of waste. Due to current practices, 80% of the spread nitrogen is not absorbed by plants and ends up in the surrounding environment.

In the UK alone, last year, fertilizers worth £3.5 billion (USD 4.45 billion) were wasted in this manner, an amount equivalent to the total agricultural subsidies in the country. The UN aims to reduce nitrogen waste by 50% by 2030, and a group of researchers believes the best way to achieve this is for everyone involved to adopt moderate actions together, rather than placing the responsibility on a single sector. Reducing meat consumption to about 500 grams per week or changing agricultural practices and adopting new technologies, all supported by government policies, is the best way to slow the release of toxic substances that contaminate rivers and the air we breathe, say the researchers. "Let's acknowledge, reaching that goal by 2030 is an extremely ambitious thing. What are the different ways to do that? It's not just about those who have the technical measures - we all need to think about our food choices," said Professor Mark Sutton, co-editor of the report and an environmental physics specialist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). "Our food choices affect water pollution and climate change. So, we all need to contribute," he added.

Led by UKCEH and working with other researchers across Europe, the scientists who conducted the report analyzed 144 scenarios involving different levels of objectives in multiple sectors and selected 12 scenarios that meet the 50% reduction target for nitrogen waste. According to the findings, a "demitarian" diet - halving meat and dairy consumption - worked best, alongside other measures. These include more efficient fertilizer use and manure storage by farmers, reducing food waste by retailers and consumers, recovering nitrogen in wastewater treatment plants, and governments encouraging the population to make more sustainable food choices. Farm animals are responsible for 80% of nitrogen-related greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, with the impact of beef being 25 times higher than that of cereals. Consuming less beef results in fewer cattle being raised, creating more space to grow food for humans rather than animals. Currently, 40% of European agricultural land is used to feed animals. Using fewer fertilizers also protects farmers from volatile price increases, as seen following the conflict in Ukraine.