While reducing your water use and electricity use is always a positive thing, the biggest way to reduce your contribution to the climate crisis is by eating a vegan diet. The UN recently released a report on global land use, concluding that eating a plant-based diet is an effective way to reduce land use and lower our carbon footprints. The report echoed a 2018 study by the University of Oxford, which also concluded that eliminating meat, dairy, and eggs from our diets is the best thing we can do for the planet.

How Is Eating Animals Linked to Climate Change?

As explained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), livestock is responsible for the largest use of land resources on Earth. Farms, factory farms, and crops dedicated to feeding livestock represent 80 percent of all agricultural land on Earth; and 26 percent of the ice-free terrestrial land on Earth is used for farming animals, according to the FAO. And in addition to land use, animal agriculture uses massive amounts of water. According to Mercy for Animals, animal agriculture uses 20 to 33 percent of the world’s fresh water; and in the U.S., 56 percent of water consumed is done so by animals.

Livestock also produces significant greenhouse gas emissions (namely methane); not to mention, the runoff from animal agriculture has polluted almost a third of U.S. rivers. And on top of all that, eating a whole foods plant-based diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and is low in oil, refined sugar, and processed foods is one of the healthiest diets there is. Plant-based diets can even reverse and prevent diseases including high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

If you are interested in making your diet more earth-friendly from the comfort of your own home, check out our guide for switching to a vegan diet, which is filled with different transition tactics, documentary and YouTube video recommendations, free vegan support (from the organizations Challenge 22 and Veganuary), and more. Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle may seem overwhelming at first, but so is changing any habit — and once you get used to your new eating habits, you’ll really feel the benefits of eating for the planet, eating for the animals, and nourishing your body with plants.