Interest in vegan food and its associated health benefits has been booming across the rich world. A global retreat from meat could have a far-reaching environmental impact.<br /><br />Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: https://econ.st/2xvTKdy <br /><br />By 2050 the world's population could approach 10 billion - and around 60% more food could be needed to feed everyone. The environmental impacts of the food system are daunting its responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 70% of all freshwater resources, and it occupies about 40% of the Earth's land surface.<br /><br />Food rated emissions could increase to 50 percent by 2050 and fill up the total emissions budget that we have in order to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.<br /><br />Interest in vegan food has been booming across the rich world. A major study has put the diet to the test - analyzing an imagined scenario in which the world goes vegan by 2050. If everybody went vegan by 2050 we estimated that food-related greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 3/4.<br /><br />Cows are the biggest emission contributors. Bugs in their digestive system produce methane and deforestation for their pasture releases carbon dioxide - these gases warm the planet. If cows were a country, they'd be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter.<br /><br />Daily Watch: mind-stretching short films throughout the working week.<br /><br />For more from Economist Films visit: http://films.economist.com/ <br />Check out The Economist’s full video catalogue: http://econ.st/20IehQk <br />Like The Economist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/ <br />Follow The Economist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theeconomist <br />Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/ <br />Follow us on Medium: https://medium.com/@the_economist
