Diet Change from Meat to Veggies Could Save Water in Dry Regions

There may be a new and effective way to conserve water across the globe. Scientists have found that simply by eating less meat, we can potentially protect water sources in dry regions.

As the global population continues to grow and as climate change impacts areas, causing drought, it's likely that pressures on existing water resources will increase. In fact, researchers estimate that the global population will exceed 9 billion by 2050, which means that over 2 billion mouths will be added to the current population-and all will need to be fed. Diet change, though, could potentially help with the possible water resource crisis.

The scientists assessed the impact of diet change on global water resources over four different scenarios. In each scenario, meat consumption was gradually reduced while diet recommendations in terms of energy supply, proteins and fat were followed. The researchers found that by shifting to a vegetarian diet, we could potentially secure adequate food supply for an addition 1.8 billion people without increasing the use of water resources. In addition, the researchers examined the difference between blue water use and green water use; green water is rainwater, while blue water is used for irrigation.

The scientists also found that the water savings are distributed unevenly. There are regional differences that play a role. For example, in Latin America, Europe, Central and Eastern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, diet change reduces mainly green water use. Yet a meat free diet in Finalnd would save each Finn 530 liters of green water use, but increase blue water use by 50 liters. In addition, the researchers found that in the Middle East region, North America, Australia and Oceania, blue water use would decrease significantly. In South and Southeast Asia, though, diet change wouldn't result in savings in water use.

The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.