World Health Organization Chief Calls for More Plant-Based Diets
The WHO Director-General said a “shift” in diets is needed to help protect people and the planet.
WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his video address. Credit: WHO/YouTube
The president of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a global shift towards a plant-based diet in order to improve public health and help protect the planet.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, made the comments in a video-message during an official event for COP28.
In his video address, the Director-General said that our current food system is “harming the health of people and planet”, and explained that:
“food systems contribute to over 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and account for almost one third of the global burden of disease. Transforming food systems is therefore essential.”
Outlining how we can all contribute to help transform our food system, Dr Ghebreyesus echoed leading climate research, suggesting that we “shift towards healthier, diversified, and more plant-based diets”.
By improving our diets with more variation and healthy, plant-based foods like fruit, vegetables, beans, and legumes, the WHO estimates that we could collectively save 8 million lives per year.
Despite many high-profile advocates for such an approach, the WHO said that an initial baseline report showed a low integration of policies that link climate and nutrition within funding mechanisms, particularly in the private sector.
However, positive engagement and successful discussion during COP 28, held late last year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has now led to over 130 countries signing the event’s declaration on climate and health.
A Roadmap for Plant-Forward Thinking
As a result, WHO has called COP28 a “game changer” for putting food systems on the map and for linking diet choices with climate change. In his video speech, Dr Ghebreyesus specifically thanked Nordic countries for their contribution in this area. Labeling them “trail blazers”, Dr Ghebreyesus explained that these countries have been responsible for many policy breakthroughs that linked climate and nutrition.
Such praise comes after Denmark became the first country in the world to launch a national roadmap to make the country’s food system more plant-based.
The Danish government’s 40-page Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods was introduced late last year, and explores how to help increase the uptake of plant-based foods by transforming the many stages of food production.
Hailed by climate campaigners and health experts as a “milestone”, Denmark’s action plan is expected to influence other EU countries to establish their own plant-forward strategies, particularly in the latter half of 2025 when Denmark will preside over the European Council.
“Denmark is still a country famous for its agriculture, which is dominated by industrial animal production, so when a country like Denmark can make a plant-based action plan, supported by a broad majority in the Parliament, it should be possible anywhere in the world,” said Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, Secretary-General at the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, when the plan was first announced.
“My biggest wish is that many more countries will get inspired and start drafting their own plant-based action plans,” added Dragsdahl.
Eating for the Planet
Alongside the WHO, other leading global organizations and research institutions agree that a transition towards more plant-focussed diets would improve public health and help alleviate climate change.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock farming. These emissions are largely carbon dioxide and methane, which are two of the largest contributors to global warming. Within this statistic, cattle alone are responsible for 65 percent of emissions.
Studies have reportedly shown that cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.
In fact, a global shift towards a plant-forward diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change, according to the United Nations, and research from the University of Oxford shows that going vegan is the “single biggest way” to reduce your impact on the planet.
What we eat matters. Do you think you could embrace plant-based living for 7 days? We do. Sign up for the Species Unite 7-Day Vegan Challenge to discover a whole new world, from recipes that will trick your most carnivorous friends to shoes, boots, and bags made from some of the most magical plants on the planet. Take part here!
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