Environmental vegetarianism

Environmental vegetarianism is the practice of vegetarianism that is motivated by the desire to create a sustainable diet, which avoids the negative environmental impact of meat production. Livestock as a whole is estimated to be responsible for around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, significant reduction in meat consumption has been advocated by, among others, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2019 special report and as part of the 2017 World Scientists' Warning to Humanity. A 2023 study published in Nature Communications found that replacing half of the global consumption of beef, chicken, dairy, and pork with plant-based alternatives could reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 31%, decrease land use by nearly one-third, and nearly halt deforestation for agriculture, thereby aiding biodiversity restoration.

Other than climate change, the livestock industry is the primary driver behind biodiversity loss and deforestation and is significantly relevant to environmental concerns such as water and land use, pollution, and unsustainability.