“Nearly 80% of total agricultural land is dedicated to feed and livestock production while providing less than 20% of the world’s food calories.” These are the words of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in a 2022 report, which went on to recommend eliminating or repurposing harmful farm subsidies to trigger a shift from resource-depleting practices to those that link resource efficiency and productivity gains to healthy and resilient food systems, decoupling economic growth from land and soil degradation.
Yet, there is a misalignment between the desire to protect the environment through sustainable agriculture and popular beliefs about the necessity of animal protein for adequate nutrition. While 92 percent of Americans say that protecting the environment for future generations is important, nearly two-thirds erroneously consider meat a necessary part of a complete meal.
The authors conclude that nutrition and environmental sustainability cannot be treated as separate objectives if we want to achieve healthier populations and a stable biosphere. They point out that transitions toward healthier diets and more sustainable food systems are deeply interconnected, and that the stakes of the current moment make those transitions more pressing than ever. “The challenge is to build food systems that recognize both realities at the same time and to ensure that the solutions pursued for one do not undermine the other.”
Source: “The Livestock Contradiction: Tensions between Environmental and Nutrition Policy.” Food for a Sustainable Future, Oct. 6, 2026.
Learn how to reduce your environmental footprint through plant-based eating by visiting the Plant-Based Eating page on Green Newton’s website or connecting with a volunteer Plant-Based Eating Coach.