Scientists are imploring members of the public to eat less meat as they warn that the world is facing a climate emergency.

In a paper published today in journal BioScience, a global team of scientists have declared a climate emergency, detailing six areas of action they say must be addressed that can help slow down the impact of climate change.

The paper, which features more than 11,000 scientist signatories from 153 countries, was authored by scientists from the University of Sydney, Oregon State University, the University of Cape Town and Tufts University.

The team of researchers conducted a scientific analysis of more than 40 years of publicly available data, which included factors such as deforestation, fertility rates and carbon emissions.

One of the six areas of action mentioned by the academic experts was food, where they said that the general public should aim to “eat mostly plants and consume fewer animal products”.

They explained that doing so “would significantly reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases and free up agricultural lands for growing human food rather than livestock feed”.

The scientists added that making an effort to reduce food waste is “also critical”, as they state that at least a third of all food produce is not consumed, instead ending up as rubbish.

“Scientists have a moral obligation to warn humanity of any great threat,” said Dr Thomas Newsome, from the School of Life and Environment Sciences at the University of Sydney.

“From the data we have, it is clear we are facing a climate emergency.”

In the paper, the scientists explain that “adapting” to the way in which climate change has affected our lives “means transforming the ways we govern, manage, eat, and fulfil material and energy requirements”.

Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Show all 13 1 /13 Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Miley Cyrus The pop singer is a passionate animal rights advocate, telling Vanity Fair in 2019 that her diet also reflects her fashion choices: "I’m challenging the system more than ever. Choosing to live as a sustainable vegan activist means wearing more vintage (less waste; loving pieces for longer), playing with the newest eco-materials and technology, and making custom vegan pieces with some of my favorite designers." Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Alicia Silverstone The Clueless star went vegan shortly after wrapping the hit 1990s film and has been a passionate campaigner for animal rights since. Speaking in a video for Compassionate Meals in 2017, she said: "Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me. Once you see it, there’s no way to go back from that for me." Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Simon Cowell The music mogul revealed in a recent interview with The Sun that he decided to give up animal products earlier this year "on a whim", adding that he feels much better as a result. Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Venus Williams "I started for health reasons," Williams told Health in 2019. "I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me." Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Natalie Portman The American-Israeli actor decided to go vegan eight years ago after learning more about the environmental consequences of eating animal products. Speaking at an Environmental Media Awards benefit, 2017, she said: "Factory farming is responsible for most of the air, water, and land pollution - that disproportionately affects our poor communities as well. So we get to make decisions three times a day, what we do with our planet, and you can make a difference by even once a day or once a week choosing not to eat animals or animal products." AFP/Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Beyoncé While she chooses to refer to herself as plant-based as opposed to vegan, the 'Halo' singer underwent a 22-day vegan challenge with husband Jay-Z in 2013 and is believed to have maintained the diet ever since. Writing in the foreword of The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World by Marco Borges, the couple say: "We used to think of health as a diet – some worked for us, some didn’t. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible." Getty/Coachella Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman David Haye The British boxer extolled the virtues of veganism in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2016: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasn’t then the food the animal’s been fed has been. That’s tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever." Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Ariana Grande The 'Dangerous Woman' singer announced she was going vegan in November 2018. Speaking to The Daily Mirror in a recent interview, she explained: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasn’t then the food the animal’s been fed has been. That’s tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever." AFP/Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Ellie Goulding The British singer has been toying with veganism for a while, having been a vegetarian for seven years. Speaking to The Cut in 2018, she revealed that she will "never eat fish or meat again" and eats a predominantly vegan diet. Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Mike Tyson The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed he had become vegan in 2010. "I wish I was born this way," he told Fox News in 2011. "When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years." Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Jessica Chastain The Zero Dark Thirty star decided to go vegan roughly 13 years ago because of low energy. Speaking to W Magazine in 2017, she clarified: "being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me." Getty Images Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Rooney Mara Mara has been vegan for eight years, telling Harper's Bazaar in 2018 "it’s better for your health and the environment.” Getty Celebrity Vegans: From Beyoncé to Natalie Portman Kim Kardashian Reality star Kim Kardashian West revealed that she has started eating a plant-based diet on Instagram in April 2019. Sharing two photographs of vegan dishes on her Instagram story, the 38-year-old wrote: “I am eating all plant-based when I am at home.” Getty

According to a study conducted by the University of Oxford in June 2018, following a vegan diet may be the “single biggest way” of reducing one’s environmental impact.

The researchers stated that if an individual cuts meat and dairy products from their diet, this can reduce their carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.

Emissions from livestock around the world currently account for 14.5 per cent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations states.

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Earlier this year, 60 scientists signed an open letter calling for less meat and dairy to be served in schools and hospitals around the world.

The letter urged mayors across the globe to reduce the amount of animal products in public canteens in order to “maintain a safe climate and planet for the future of humanity”.

To read about whether “vegan leather” is really a sustainable material, click here.