Section 06
Everything the rest of this site cites lives here: 20 peer-reviewed studies, official reports, and position papers. Each entry links out to the source and back to every article that uses it, so you can audit any claim in both directions.
A meta-analysis covering about 38,700 farms in 119 countries. The largest dataset comparing the environmental footprint of foods; the source of the finding that meat and dairy provide 18% of calories while using 83% of farmland.
Models global food-system emissions and attributes 57% of them to animal-based foods versus 29% for plant-based foods.
The standard global accounting of water footprints for animal products: roughly 15,400 litres per kilogram of beef, most of it water embedded in feed.
Quantifies the calories and protein lost when crops are routed through animals: replacing animal foods with plant equivalents could feed an additional 350 million people in the US alone.
The WHO cancer agency's classification of processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen and red meat as Group 2A. The classification grades strength of evidence, not size of risk; the absolute risk increase is modest.
Follows about 209,000 adults and finds plant-based diets built on whole foods are linked to lower coronary heart disease risk, while plant-based diets heavy in refined foods are not. Quality matters, not just the label.
Dose-response meta-analysis across food groups: higher intakes of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and legumes track with lower all-cause mortality; higher red and processed meat intake tracks with higher mortality.
The Global Burden of Disease analysis of diet and death worldwide. The biggest dietary killers it identifies are diets low in whole grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, alongside high sodium.
EPIC-Oxford cohort of about 48,000 people: vegetarians and vegans had lower ischaemic heart disease risk than meat eaters, alongside a smaller increase in haemorrhagic stroke. An honest picture with findings in both directions.
Cohort of about 73,000 Seventh-day Adventists: vegetarian dietary patterns were associated with 12% lower all-cause mortality over roughly six years of follow-up.
Commissioned by the WHO: people eating the most fiber (mostly from whole plant foods) had 15 to 30% lower all-cause mortality and lower incidence of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
A review of the scientific study of animal sentience: where the evidence stands for mammals, birds, and fish, and how the field has moved from whether animals feel to what they feel.
Raised 1957, 1978, and 2005 broiler chicken breeds under identical conditions: the 2005 bird grew to over four times the weight in the same time. The clearest documentation of what selective breeding has done to the animals themselves.
The standard estimate of how many individual wild fish are caught each year: roughly 1.1 to 2.2 trillion, an order of magnitude more individuals than all farmed land animals combined.
The IPCC's assessment of land use and climate, including the finding that dietary change toward plant-based foods is a major mitigation opportunity.
The most-cited estimate of AI water use. Its abstract reports that training GPT-3 in US data centers directly evaporated about 700,000 litres of freshwater; the paper also estimates roughly 500 ml consumed per 10 to 50 medium-length responses. A preprint, so treat the numbers as estimates; we use it because public AI water data is scarce.
The largest US dietetics body's position: appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and appropriate for all life stages, including pregnancy, infancy, and athletes.
The 300-study review that led the UK to legally recognize octopuses, crabs, and lobsters as sentient. A model of how sentience evidence is weighed.
The NIH reference on B12: requirements, sources, deficiency symptoms, and supplementation. The practical basis for the rule that every vegan should supplement B12.
The US government's own guideline for how claims like "free range" and "humanely raised" get onto packages: companies substantiate them with paperwork submitted to USDA, not through on-farm inspections. Reading it is the fastest way to see how little most labels guarantee.
