Facts on Veganism and Climate Change

It is difficult for me to understand why more environmentalists don't talk more positively about veganism, especially with regard to climate change.   The facts in support of reducing meat and dairy use are overwhelming.  A UN report from way back in 2006 found that livestock produces 18 percent more greenhouse gas emissions from CO2 than from from transport (source).  A new study from the World Preservation Foundation was recently discussed on the Freakonomics.com website.  Some of the findings from WPF include:

• Eating vegan more beneficial than driving a hybrid. In 2006, a University of Chicago, US, report concluded a person adopting a vegetarian diet for a year would reduce more emissions than someone swapping their regular car for a Toyota Prius. 
• Livestock emissions higher than transport emissions. In 2006, the Livestock group within the UN‟s Food and Agriculture Organization released Livestock’s Long Shadow, estimating livestock to be responsible for 18 percent of global emissions: more than all transportation combined. 
• A vegan diet reduces emissions 7 times more than local eating. In 2008, Carnegie Mellon University compared the emissions from consuming a diet of 100% locally grown food to one of 100% plant-foods, concluding a vegan diet led to a reduction of seven times the emissions of a locally-grown diet because most dietary emissions are in operations, not transportation. 
• An organic vegan diet reduces 94% of dietary emissions vs. 8% for sustainable meat & dairy. In 2008, Germany's Foodwatch Institute estimated shifting from a conventional diet, including meat and dairy, to a conventionally-raised vegan diet would reduce emissions by 87 percent, while shifting to an organic diet including meat and dairy would only reduce emissions by 8 percent. By contrast, a 100% organic vegan diet would reduce emissions by 94 percent. 

Read the entire report here:  http://www.worldpreservationfoundation.org/Downloads/ReducingShorterLivedClimateForcersThroughDietaryChange.pdf