Climate change, industrial animal agriculture, and the role of physicians – Time to act

• DOI: 10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100260
• Publication Date: 2023-07-20T18:10:51Z
• Authors: Nelson Iván Agude...; Regina LaRocque; Alice McGushin
• Keywords: Consumption; Animal agriculture

Human population growth and development coupled with centuries of atmospheric colonization by the world's richest regions have now made evident a potentially irreversible disruption in restoration capacity planet's ecosystems. The production, utilization, consumption animal products has been closely intertwined to human biologic social evolution. This relationship is threatening health equilibrium ecosystem. Global food production responsible for 35% all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) use animals as source food, well livestock feed, almost 60% emissions. Consumption high-resource diet based on without reciprocal nutritional value while degrading environment unethical no longer sustainable. Without major urgent transformation global meat consumption, even if zero GHGE other sectors are achieved, agriculture alone will consume entire carbon budget needed keep temperature rise under 2°C 2050. In this viewpoint, we illustrate impact our current food-production system resource utilization health. There an need shift predominantly plant-based arrest revert negative environmental, animal, industrial agriculture. Healthcare professionals ethical responsibility provide evidence-based information patients their families benefits.