New statistics show the positive impact of trying vegan this January
Veganuary, a global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has today released new statistics compiled by environmental researcher Joseph Poore* which show that if 350,000 people worldwide go vegan for January 2020 – as the charity is expecting – it will save:
41,200 tonnes of CO2eq from the atmosphere, the same as 450,000 flights from London to Berlin
160 tonnes of PO43-eq (eutrophication) from waterways, the same impact as preventing 650 tonnes of sewage from entering our waterways
2.5 million litres of water, which is enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool
Additionally, according to the Vegan Society’s Veganalyser calculations, it will save more than one million animals
These new figures demonstrate the huge impact that trying vegan for just 31-days has when hundreds of thousands of people take action. They come at the same time as Paul McCartney, global music icon and founder of Meat Free Monday, joins Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Packham, Evanna Lynch and other climate-conscious celebrities urging people to sign up to Veganuary and try vegan this January. In a statement released today, Paul says:
“I’ve been vegetarian for over 40 years and have stayed with it because I believe that every meat-free meal is a win for animals and the planet. This is why I started Meat Free Monday with my daughters Mary and Stella, and it’s also why I support Veganuary. We’re all trying to make the world a bit better, so why not sign up, take part, give it a go, and see how you feel? It could be the best thing you ever did.” – Paul McCartney
>>> Download a photo of Paul McCartney that can be used with this story here
>>> Download Veganuary’s press pack with other celebrity endorsement here
Toni Vernelli, Veganuary’s Head of Communications, says: “Veganuary 2020 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet with one person signing up every 15 seconds! More and more people are choosing to fight climate chaos with their fork, and these new statistics show just how big an impact we can all have by choosing plant-based foods.”
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Media contact
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
E: [email protected]
*Figures are based on Veganuary participant data from January 2019 and take into account participants’ geographical location (country) and their pre-Veganuary diet. All of the numbers include imports and exports (i.e. land used domestically + land imported from other countries), and also include the full food supply chain.
The calculations are extrapolated from the data in Poore & Nemecek (2018) Science. For further details visit sciencemag.org and a lecture about the paper here on YouTube.
