On the one hand there is theattention to healthwith the eat-lancet diet And the reference to a greater consumption of food of vegetable origin, also on the protein front, such as strategy to limit overweight, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular pathologies and beyond. Among other things, this model provides a reduction in foods with a high impact.
On the other there are the needs of the planet and sustainability. In the middle there are the choices that must allow to reconcile all these aspects, in the light of forecasts that say how the global production of vegetable oil for food use It will increase by 74%, requesting 317 million hectares of more land. With an increase of 68% compared to the maintenance of current consumption levels.
To offer indications to face this challenge is a research published in Global Change Biology, which highlights theimpact of the increase in consumption of vegetable oil as part of the Eat-Lancet diet on the use of global soil, on deforestation and on greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the study, entitled “Pressure On Global Forests: Implications of Rising Vegetable Oils Consumeption Under The Eat-Lancet Diet“, He examines the potential consequences of the change of the dietary models recommended by the Eat-Lancet Commission. Foodclic and Switch, provide scientific results in support of conscious and sustainable food choices.
Diet and environment
The approach provides for a diet that aims to improve the health of the individual by guaranteeing a adequate nutritional needs And preventing chronic pathologies. But it should not be forgotten that an adequate diet must also be sustainable, that is, as well as reiterated by the Eat-Lancet Commission (working group that saw the participation of researchers from 16 different countries) and above all healthy and respectful of natural resources and biodiversity.
The goal must be twofold: on the one hand to encourage the availability of safe food for those who consume it and the planet, on the otherfeeding equally available which guarantees everyone an adequate supply of nutrients. In particular, as part of a potential “global” diet, a typical dish should include half fruit and vegetables, for the other half mostly whole grains, proteins of vegetable origin, unsaturated fatty acids, and possibly modest quantities of proteins of animal origin.
There “Planetary diet” proposal aims to reduce the consumption of high intensity foods, such as meat and eggs, while increasing the global per capita intake of unsaturated oils (such as soy, sunflower and rape) of 67% and maintaining the current levels of palm oil consumption. While the Eat-Lancet diet therefore provides for a reduction of high impact foods, potentially freeing ground, the replacement of palm oil with alternative vegetable oils would further increase the demand for new soil up to 385 million hectares, worsening the risks of deforestation.
The impact on the environment
Ensuring a production of sustainable vegetable oil and not subject to deforestation is essential to protect carbon -rich ecosystems and mitigate climate change. Using an algorithm of allocation of spatially explicit land, the study assesses as the global population of 9.2 billion people planned by 2050 could influence the demand for vegetable oils and the related environmental impacts on Carbon rich ecosystems and on the emissions due to the change of destination of the land. By 2050, the world production of vegetable oil for food use is expected will increase by 74%, By requesting 317 million hectares of land – 68% more than what would happen if the current consumption levels were maintained.
This expansion could lead to one large -scale deforestationwith the loss of 120 million hectares of forests and an increase of 87% of the emissions due to the change of intended use of the land, which would reach 1.210 megatthons of Co₂ per year.
However, the reduction proposed by the Eat-Lacet diet of other high impact foods could help free land and reduce global emissions related to nutrition. The study, in particular, focuses attention on replacement of palm oil with alternative vegetable oils which would further increase the request for new land up to 385 million hectares, increasing the risk of deforestation. To mitigate these impacts, guaranteeing a production of sustainable vegetable oil and without deforestation is essential for protect carbon rich ecosystems. In short, the research, on the basis of previous works on the topic, highlights that replacing palm oil with alternative oils could have unwanted environmental consequencesincluding an increase in pressure on the use of soil, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Attention to sustainable oils
“One of the main results of this study highlights the crucial role of guaranteeing sustainable production for all vegetable oils, together with the growing importance of certification schemes for supply chains without deforestation”
Report the main author Maria Vincenza Chiriacò, head of the research line on climatic neutrality in the soil use sector and in relation to the climate policy objectives at CMCCC.
“According to the roundtable on sustainable palm oil, 4.8 million hectares – about 19% of the global palm oil production – are certified as sustainablewhich means that they do not contribute to the deforestation caused by agriculture. Expand the efforts of sustainability to the entire Palma Oil sector and other vegetable oils is essential for prevent loss of biodiversity and the conversion of carbon -rich landthus guaranteeing sustainable oil consumption in our diets “.
This study sheds light on the impact, often neglected, of the production of vegetable oil on the conversion of the land and on the deforestation. In addition, it explores the environmental consequences of the replacement of palm oil – a theme on which the current scientific literature is lacking – providing new food for thought on the compromises necessary to move on to a more sustainable global food system.
“Our results point out that the growing pressure on land resources and on ecosystems It requires immediate action to ensure that agricultural expansion does not take place at the price of environmental degradation – comments M. Cristina Rulli, professor of hydrology and food and water security at the Polytechnic of Milan. Effective policies should align economic growth with the conservation of the environment, encouraging sustainable production methods and consumer behaviors to help protect our planet for future generations “.
