"National dietary guidelines, insufficient to respond to climate crisis"

 Most of the Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) by country are not enough to achieve global goals for the climate crisis and health, including the Paris Climate Change Convention, according to a study. They argue that the current dietary guidelines need to be improved. The FBDG is a recommended guideline for each country, focusing on food rather than nutrients.

According to a recent study by Dr. Marco Springmann's team in public health at Oxford University published in the British Journal of Medicine, an analysis of dietary guidelines in 85 countries around the world showed that 98 percent were not effective enough to fail either global environmental or health task goals. The researchers considered goals such as the Paris Climate Change Convention to keep global warming below 2°C and global health tasks to reduce mortality from chronic diseases.

"We were very surprised by the results," Marco said. "Some countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, were relatively less effective than others." The explanation is that if the world follows the dietary guidelines of the United States or Britain, the current food system's capacity to withstand the climate crisis will be exceeded. The food system has a significant impact on the climate crisis, including greenhouse gas emissions. It is not only the two countries that have poor results. In China, the country received very low climate crisis results in problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and freshwater.

On the other hand, researchers said that if the world adopts a diet announced by Swedish private organization The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, and Health last year, greenhouse gas emissions will more than triple and premature mortality will be 34 percent. Analysts say that the government can achieve its goals in the global environment and health tasks.

The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food (Planet, Health), a Swedish private organization, proposed an example of the "Humanity Tax Diet" for the health of mankind and the Earth [photo=It-Lansik Committee]
"The current national dietary guidelines should be improved in terms of human and global health," Dr. Marco said. "The world cannot cope with the climate crisis without switching to a plant-oriented diet." They argue that "we should restrict meat and dairy products much more strictly than we do now, and encourage a diet based on more whole grains and vegetables and fruits, nuts and beans." He then said that chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes require expensive treatment costs, saying that "an unbalanced diet" that eats less fruits and vegetables, and excessive consumption of red meat and processed meat is one of the biggest risks to health as well as the climate crisis. Earlier, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2016, he concluded that "the potential effect of vegetarianism is very great in all aspects of health, environment, and economy," referring to "the fastest and largest reduction in government costs for treating adult diseases and dieting."

"The connection between the food system and the environment is an increasingly recognized area internationally," Dr. Marco said. "The importance of a sustainable diet is increasing because there is evidence of the 'tremendous impact' of our diet choices on the environment."