A recent report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has found that India’s dietary habits are the most environmentally friendly among G20 nations. Released on Thursday, the Living Planet Report emphasizes that India’s food consumption poses the least threat to the environment, particularly in light of the projected global food production demands for 2050.
If all countries emulated India’s consumption patterns, the world could easily meet food needs without needing more than one Earth, establishing India as a benchmark for sustainable practices.
In contrast, nations like Argentina, Australia, and the United States display the least sustainable eating habits.
The report indicates that if G20 nations collectively adopted their current consumption patterns by 2050, food-related greenhouse gas emissions would exceed the 1.5°C climate target by 263%, necessitating between one to seven Earths to support food production. However, with India’s dietary choices, the world would need less than one Earth (0.84)—a figure even more favorable than the current planetary limits for food systems.
The report reflects on India’s Millet Mission, stating, “If everyone in the world followed the food consumption patterns of major economies by 2050, we would surpass the 1.5°C climate target for food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 263%, requiring between one and seven Earths to support us.”
Argentina’s dietary patterns would demand 7.4 Earths, marking the highest impact among the countries analyzed, with Australia and the U.S. trailing behind. While Indonesia and China also demonstrated positive results, India emerged as the leader in climate-friendly food systems.
The report commended India’s National Millet Campaign for encouraging the use of climate-resilient grains such as millets, which are both nutritious and suitable for a changing climate. It called for nations to pursue more sustainable diets, recommending alternatives like legumes, plant-based meats, and nutrient-rich algae to minimize the environmental footprint of food production.
The report suggests that promoting traditional foods could be key in some countries to shift dietary patterns, highlighting India’s initiative to boost millet consumption as beneficial for health and resilience against climate change.
Additionally, the report notes that achieving healthy and nutritious diets will largely depend on local cultural practices, personal choices, and food availability. It underscores the potential benefits of adopting sustainable diets, emphasizing the reduction of land required for food production, particularly freeing grazing land for purposes such as nature restoration and carbon sequestration.
