The Plant Based Diet That Protects The Earth
The Climatarian Diet is a plant-based diet that is designed to minimize the impact of climate change. One of the key components of the climatarian diet is extra virgin olive oil. The climatarian diet recommends using extra virgin olive oil in place of other oils, as it has a lower carbon footprint. In addition, extra virgin olive oil is a healthy source of fat that can help to improve cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation. The climatarian diet is an important part of combating climate change, and extra virgin olive oil can play a vital role in supporting this effort.
Olive Oil And The Climatarian Diet
A recent article by Dr Axe which looks at the benefits and features of the Climatarian Diet claims that, if you have chosen a diet such as The Mediterranean Diet, there’s a good chance you would like your food choices to have a positive effect on the planet.
Did you know that The Green Mediterranean Diet, for example, can have major benefits for planetary health as well as human health? According to research reported in Medical News Today, a “Green” Mediterranean diet – avoiding all meat and providing extra greens – could have major benefits for planetary health as well as human health.
Medical News Today refers to Research stating that global production of animal-based foods — including livestock feed — accounts for 57% of total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. In comparison, production of plant-based foods –including extra virgin olive oil – accounts for only 29%.
Another study estimates that if everyone became vegan, this would reduce the amount of land worldwide that farmers need to grow food by 3.1 billion hectares or 76%.
In addition to cutting emissions from food production, says this study, rewilding the freed-up land would remove around 8.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year for the next 100 years.
But, if you want to go one step further and become a Climatarian, how can extra virgin olive oil help?
Important aspects of the Climatarian approach to nutrition includes limiting the amount of meat they eat, especially beef and lamb, which have a higher carbon footprint compared to chicken, pork and some types of seafood.
The goal doesn’t necessarily have to be to avoid meat or animal proteins all together, but rather to replace some meat with more sustainable options, including plant proteins like beans, legumes and seeds.
Seasonal, locally produced, organically grown plant foods tend to be best for the environment and planet, although it really depends on how exactly they’re grown.
Dr Axe provides a sample lunch from the plate of a Climatrian which may suit those with a love of extra virgin olive oil:
- Salad made with seasonal veggies, chickpeas or other beans, a bit of organic cheese, seeds and raisins, and dressing made with olive oil and vinegar.
Olive Oil And The Best Diet For Protecting Our Climate
According to a recent report from The Week, A western standard meat-based diet produces about 7.2 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per day, while a vegetarian diet produces 3.8 kg and a vegan diet 2.9 kg. If the whole world went vegan it would save nearly 8 billion tonnes CO2e while even a switch to the Mediterranean diet would still save 3 billion tonnes. That is a saving of between 60% and 20% of all food emissions as which are currently at 13.7 billion tonnes of CO2e a year.
The article concludes that the ideal global diet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce habitat destruction and help you live longer has to be a Flexitarian Diet:
Well I suggest being an ultra-flexitarian a diet of mostly plant-based foods but one that allows meat and dairy products in extreme moderation, but red and processed meat are completely banned. This would save at least 5.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year (40% of all food emissions), decrease global mortality by 10% and prevent the slaughter of billions of innocent animals.
