India is best in terms of sustainable feeding habits, as reported in the 2024 Living Planet Report recently published by the World Wide Fund (WWF).
Indian food is the least harmful to the climate among the developed countries. The report discovered that if all the nations follow the Indian style of eating, then by 2050 it would take only 0.8 earth’s worth of land to produce food for entire world’s population. In terms of food habits, the countries like Argentina, Australia and United States are least sustainable.
The report also stated that if countries start following the eating habits common in developed nations, greenhouse gas emissions could rise by nearly 263 per cent by 2050.
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If global consumption patterns resemble Argentina, 7.4 Earths will be needed to sustain the world. Argentina ranks the lowest in sustainable food habits, with Australia following closely behind (6.8), then the United States (5.5), Brazil (5.2), France (5), Italy (4.6), Canada (4.5), and the United Kingdom (3.9). China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia rank among the top, following India (0.84).
The Indian dietary habit is slightly better than the global food-related climate limit, meaning that food systems can only emit a maximum amount of greenhouse gases within a 1.5-degree Celsius limit of the warming threshold.
The report also highlighted India's continued initiatives to encourage climate-resistant millets (nutrient cereals), mentioning that the National Millet Campaign seeks to boost consumption of this ancient grain known for its health benefits and resilience to climate change.
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Based on the report, transitioning to an eco-friendlier diet may lead to a notable reduction in the land required for food production. Particularly, it could release grazing land for various uses, such as storing carbon and restoring nature. It stresses the importance of supporting plant-based meat alternatives, nutritious grains, legumes, and algae as healthy replacements for animal protein.
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