June 22, 2021 - Your diet could be taking a toll on the planet in ways that you might not have realised. Fortunately, significantly reducing your impact is actually quite easy—and will likely yield ...
Diet & Agriculture
The food we choose to eat, how it is produced, and how much is wasted, will determine whether or not we meet the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Food systems generate at least 25% of human GHG emissions, including methane and nitrous oxides. We must now transition to net carbon sequestration, and away from unsustainable land clearing, water extraction, soil wastage, fish depletion and other impacts. This will involve changing our diets.
Strong evidence shows that diets rich in diverse plant-based foods and far less animal products, have both health and environmental benefits, particularly when combined with shifts to sustainable agriculture. However, current trends are the opposite. Worldwide increasing consumption of meat, dairy, sugar and processed foods will double emissions by 2050, contributing to irreversible climate tipping points and the decline and collapse of agriculture, and society, as we know it. In Australia, the average adult diet generates over 4 tonnes of GHG, eight times the sustainable limit. National Dietary Guidelines need to reflect these issues.
Doctors everywhere are in a strong position to bring about change, advocating diets that are healthier both for patients and for the planet.
POSITION STATEMENT ON DIET AND AGRICULTURE
Health, sustainable diet and agriculture (April 2018)
FACTSHEETS ON DIET AND AGRICULTURE
Food for Healthy People, Healthy Planet (Dec 2020)
Land clearing has wide ranging and harmful implications for human health (Jan 2019)
Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be passed from an animal to a human. There has been increase in zoonotic diseases over the past 30 years, posing major risks from diseases like COVID-19 (August 2020)
Diet and Agriculture Pamphlets
April 26, 2021 - Educational resources focussed on diet, agriculture and the environment. Thanks to several of our South Australian members for putting these resources together.
Food for Healthy People, Healthy Planet Fact Sheet
December 23, 2020 - Download the Food for Healthy People, Healthy Planet Fact Sheet
Newcastle Herald: Michael Schien writes, the real threat to national security is the way our system makes rational planning virtually impossible
January 17, 2020 - The climate emergency has arrived, writes Dr Michael Schien. With the first degree of the predicted four degrees of warming by 2100, this 11,000 kilometre fire front is stretching our ...
Underground Water Impact Report for the Surat Cumulative Management Area (July 2019)
July 11, 2019 - Doctors for the Environment Australia believes that this report must be seen in the context of possible harm to the sustainability of Queensland and Australia, and in this regard we ...