Eat vegan – the most effective way to reduce water usage
Water is a precious and limited resource, but it faces an ever-growing demand. Usage of water globally has increased six-fold in the last century, and it continues to grow [1]. Whilst more than two-thirds of our planet is covered by water, only about 0.03% of this water is fit for human consumption. Currently, about a third of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water, and if current trends of water use and population growth continue then by 2050 there could be nearly 6 billion people experiencing water scarcity for at least one month of the year.
Whilst the amount of water we use for drinking and for hygiene varies according to country – in the UK, for example, it is about 140 litres per person per day on average, whereas the equivalent figure in Ethiopia is only in the range 15–35 litres – the amount of water that is used in producing the food we consume is far higher than this, and can be as much as 5000 litres per person per day for someone in the UK [2].
This lifestyle-related water usage impacts the environment in various ways. The growing demand for water leads to increased CO2 emissions because of the need for more water pumping, treatment, and transportation, all of which consume energy. It has also contributed to the degradation of important CO2 sinks, or absorbers, such as peatlands [3]. Water scarcity, which affects areas such as Africa and the Middle East, is exacerbated by the increasing usage of water at a global level. Water conservation is crucial for protecting wildlife, and freshwater ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to water shortages [4].
An obvious way that each of us can help address these urgent issues is by reducing our water footprint, and the most impactful way of doing this is by following a plant-based diet, since the biggest contributor to our water footprint is the food we consume. Various studies (see for example [5], [6]) have shown that the water footprint for a vegan diet is much lower than for a meat-based one, with the amount of water required to produce a meat-eater’s food being typically at least twice that for a vegan’s intake. By following a plant-based diet you are effectively minimizing your water footprint, thus helping to alleviate water scarcity – as well helping to prevent a land use crisis – and to prevent the environmental damage caused by excessive water usage.
[1] The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372882
[2] https://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/how-much-water-does-the-uk-use/
[4] https://greencleanguide.com/water-conservation-is-an-essential-part-of-wildlife-conservation/
[5] Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets by B. Chai et al., Sustainability 11(15), 4110 (2019) https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/15/4110
[6] Vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK show discrepant environmental impacts by P. Scarborough et al., Nature Food 4, 565 (2023) https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00795-w