Scientists discover the downsides of adopting the Eat Lancet diet
A new study on the impacts of the widespread adoption of the Eat Lancet diet, which would involve drastically reducing livestock and increasing agricultural production, has revealed some unexpected downsides.
Writing in Agricultural Systems, the authors explain how the reduction in grazed grasslands in favour of annual cropping would increase carbon emissions (loss) from soil. In addition, they explain that, with the reduced amount of livestock manure being put back into the soil, there would be an increased need for in-organic fertiliser which would, in turn, raise the level of mineral nitrogen and increase nitrous oxide emissions. The benefits of reducing methane emissions from ruminants (which break down within 10 years anyway) would be significantly offset by the negative effects of increased cropping and removal of manure as organic fertiliser.