https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/03/plant-based-diets-crucial-to-saving-global-wildlife-says-report?fbclid=IwAR3e1Svc9oC7Bu2Ud3ZiR_sjBfWKTRw0UIsbgS2yhq7YWndn-bpHB6y73E4

Vicious circle of cheap but damaging food is biggest destroyer of nature, says UN-backed report

More than 80% of global farmland is used to raise animals, which provide only 18% of calories eaten.Photograph: AlamyDamian CarringtonEnvironment editor@dpcarringtonWed 3 Feb 2021 09.30 EST

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The global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to a report.

Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, thereport by the Chatham Housethinktank said. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, it said.

The root cause is a vicious circle of cheap food, the report said, where low costs drive bigger demand for food and more waste, with more…