India’s sustainable eating habits recognised as world’s greenest by WWF report. Full story

The WWF report underscored the critical need for nations to rethink food systems in light of climate goals.

India’s food consumption patterns have been recognised as the most sustainable among the world’s major economies, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in its Living Planet Report 2024. The report highlighted that, if other countries mirrored India's dietary habits, the environmental burden of food production could be drastically reduced. It noted that India's food consumption would require less than one Earth (0.84) to meet food production demands by 2050, positioning the country as a global model for sustainable eating.

In contrast, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina were found to have significantly less sustainable consumption patterns. Argentina’s dietary footprint was noted as requiring an unsustainable 7.42 Earths. The report emphasised that adopting more sustainable diets globally could prevent land degradation and aid nature restoration.

The report warned that if the world adopted current consumption patterns of G20 nations by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions linked to food production could surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius climate target by 263%. Countries with resource-heavy diets, such as Australia and the US, were identified as key contributors to the challenge, needing 6.83 and 5.55 Earths, respectively, to sustain food production at current levels. Comparatively, Indonesia and India ranked as the most climate-friendly, with India leading due to its predominantly plant-based food culture and emphasis on grains like millets.

The report highlighted India’s National Millet Campaign, praising its promotion of traditional, climate-resilient grains such as millets. The initiative encouraged millet consumption as a means of combating climate change while improving public health. Millets, being highly nutritious and resilient, can thrive in harsher conditions, making them an essential part of sustainable diets in the face of global climate shifts. The report urged other nations to consider promoting traditional and regionally appropriate foods to achieve similar sustainability.

The WWF report underscored the critical need for nations to rethink food systems in light of climate goals. It recommended reducing dependence on land-intensive practices like grazing, advocating for alternative proteins, plant-based diets, and improved agricultural methods to mitigate the environmental impact. The report stated: “Eating more sustainable diets would reduce the amount of land needed for food production... including nature restoration and carbon sequestration.”