Researchers say a ‘planetary health diet’ could help avert 15 million deaths every year. Food systems are the largest contributor to the transgression of five plantary boundaries, including land system change, biosphere integrity, freshwater change, biogeochemical flows, and climate change. Without substantial changes to the food system, the worst effects of climate change will be unavoidable, even if humans successfully switch to cleaner energy.
About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food. Shifting our food production system to more sustainable practices will help reduce agriculture’s role in climate change and also help make this industry become more resilient and adaptable to ever-changing conditions.
The findings from the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems, suggest that widespread global adoption of a diet emphasising minimal processed foods could result in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture being cut by more than half. Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts. Global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double, and consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%. This diet not only minimises harms to planetary health, but also protects human health.
Plant based diets offer substantive preventative value for Type 2 diabetes which remains a major global concern. Some studies have shown that vegans are less likely to be overweight and tend to have a lower percentage of body fat, which in turn will reduce the risk of many other diseases.
Not only that, adopting more plant-based diets could reduce global agriculture needs by 5-28% by 2030, mainly due to lower demand for livestock production. Large parts of the world that were once covered by forests and wildlands are now used for agriculture. This loss of natural habitat has been the main driver for reducing the world’s biodiversity.
As Jews, we believe in our sacred responsibility to advocate for the health of one another and build a healthier world. We need to work together across the food system to make it easier for people across our society to access a healthy, balanced, plant-rich diet.