Contributions of healthier diets and agricultural productivity toward sustainability and climate goals in the United States

This study evaluates how healthier diets and increased agricultural productivity in the United States can help meet climate and sustainability goals by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Healthier diets, which include lower livestock consumption, can directly reduce emissions from livestock and indirectly decrease land use emissions by reducing pasture and cropland demand. Increased crop productivity could further contribute by minimizing the need for cropland expansion.

Using the US FABLE Calculator and GLOBIOM land use models, the study explores seven scenarios that combine various diet and productivity improvements. Findings indicate that adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans could reduce agricultural and land use GHG emissions by 25–57% (approximately 120–310 MtCO2e per year) and decrease pastureland by 28–38%. However, the benefits of increased U.S. agricultural productivity are moderate due to the high comparative advantage of U.S. crops internationally. Overall, the study suggests that adopting healthier diets in the U.S. can be a substantial contributor to national climate targets within the land use sector.