The most comprehensive scientific assessment to date of how eating habits are destabilizing the planet was published today, Friday, by the EAT-Lancet Commission, an international panel of 70 leading scientists from six continents.

According to the study, nearly a third of global emissions of greenhouse gases come from food. The methane released by bovines, deforestation for feed crops, and the use of fossil energy for fertilizer production are key factors.

Tellingly, as the study shows, even if the world stopped burning coal, oi,l and gas tomorrow, our eating habits would be enough to push the climate crisis beyond the 1.5 degree Celsius target.

But the damage is not limited to emissions. Food systems are now emerging as the biggest reason why humanity is exceeding the Earth’s “safe operating limits”, known as planetary boundaries. Impacts include biodiversity loss, soil degradation, freshwater scarcity, and fertilizer pollution.

“The results are alarming,” said Swedish scientist Johan Roxtrem, co-chair of the committee and rapporteur for the planetary boundary framework. “Food alone can push us beyond 1.5°C – but it can also help us get back.”

The map for change

Scientists argue that it is still possible to feed 10 billion people on a healthy diet within the planet’s limits – something that current food systems fail to achieve even with the current population.

The proposed “planetary health diet” is based primarily on fruit, vegetables, pulses, and nuts, with limited amounts of dairy, poultry, and fish, and significantly less red and processed meat. It is estimated that implementing this standard could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths each year and more than halve food-related emissions.

The cost is estimated to be between $200 billion and $500 billion a year – far less, scientists stress, than the trillions saved in health and environmental spending.

Walter Willett, a Harvard epidemiologist and co-chair of the committee, made it clear that this is not about imposing a “near vegan lifestyle”. The diet can be adapted to local food traditions – from the Mediterranean to Asia – but the direction is clear: more plant-based foods and less meat and sugar.