Movement & mountains
Pleasure & health
Relaxation & nature
Vitalpina Escapists
Sustainable by conviction
Rethinking
Pandemics, diseases, climate change and natural disasters on the one hand, our eating habits and their consequences on the other.
Even as we enjoy increasing prosperity, global health is in danger of collapse. According to new projections, climate change could cause up to 529,000 deaths a year by 2050. In addition, new infectious diseases pose an increasing threat to public health. The WHO reckons that 75% of these are transmitted from animals to humans.
Our hunger for animal protein goes hand in hand with the fact that animals live in close contact with each other, thus allowing pathogens to spread very easily. But this also means that more and more food has to be produced. The worldwide felling of tropical rainforests for animal feed production means that we are constantly breaking down barriers and exposing ourselves to previously unknown pathogens.
These are precisely the factors that add fuel to the climate crisis. A full 14.5% of all greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted directly by livestock. In addition, over ⅔ of all global arable land is used for the production of animal products. If the CO2 released from the clearing of this land is included in the calculation, over 50% of all GHGs come from this form of agriculture.
Our hunger for animal protein goes hand in hand with the fact that animals live in close contact with each other, thus allowing pathogens to spread very easily. But this also means that more and more food has to be produced. The worldwide felling of tropical rainforests for animal feed production means that we are constantly breaking down barriers and exposing ourselves to previously unknown pathogens.
These are precisely the factors that add fuel to the climate crisis. A full 14.5% of all greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted directly by livestock. In addition, over ⅔ of all global arable land is used for the production of animal products. If the CO2 released from the clearing of this land is included in the calculation, over 50% of all GHGs come from this form of agriculture.
SWITCHING TO A PLANT-BASED DIET CAN THEREFORE MAKE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, PROVIDE A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO BOTH THREATS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, PROMOTE OUR OWN HEALTH.
The world’s largest nutrition society, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agrees that an all-vegetable diet is suitable for every stage of life and can result in health benefits for the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. Over 90% of all deaths in Italy in 2019 were due to chronic diseases, some of which are preventable. In fact, poor diet is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other risk factor – including smoking tobacco. Switching to a more plant-based diet therefore not only benefits every single one of us, but also our planet.
The world’s largest nutrition society, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agrees that an all-vegetable diet is suitable for every stage of life and can result in health benefits for the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. Over 90% of all deaths in Italy in 2019 were due to chronic diseases, some of which are preventable. In fact, poor diet is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other risk factor – including smoking tobacco. Switching to a more plant-based diet therefore not only benefits every single one of us, but also our planet.
THE DOCTOR LUKAS GATTERER
studied human medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck and works as a doctor in basic training at the University Hospital of St. Pölten. He was the initiator and organiser of “The future in (y)our hands” at the Medical University of Innsbruck, has spoken at various high schools and has also for example appeared at the “Sustainability Festival” of the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano. He is also a volunteer with the Physicians Association of Nutrition (PAN) International.
https://www.suedtirol.vision/
https://www.suedtirol.vision/