Scientific Article for Students

Abstract

Which diets are the most healthy and environmentally sustainable? Many scientists have tried to answer this question by researching the impacts of peoples’ food choices on health and the environment. We compiled all this previous research to summarize how changes to what we eat would affect water use, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and human health. Overall, we found that if people shifted their diets to eat less animal-sourced food and more fruits and vegetables, it would generally reduce environmental impacts. Furthermore, there would also likely be benefits to health.

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About this Article

Reading Level
Scientific Topic
Key Words
NGSS Standards
AP Environmental Science Topics
IB Biology Topics
Scientific Methods
Type of Figure
Location of Research
Scientist Affiliation
Included Resources
+ Introductory video on the hidden costs of hamburgers + Link to a carbon footprint calculator + Curated links to food system lesson plans
Publication Date
April 2017
Scientists reviewed 60+ academic papers which compared the environmental footprints of various diets and summarized the results.
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