A little end of year analysis from me on the state of all things plant-based, and why eating a more plant-based diet is still one of the most impactful things people can do for society: www.vox.com/future-perfe...

It’s January 1, which means it’s the start of Veganuary! I’ve written previously about vegan challenges, finding that those like Veganuary have retention rates of 10-28%.

The majority of deforested land is used for animal agriculture, either directly or indirectly, and the beef industry is the single biggest driver of deforestation. Seth Millstein explains:

In the developed world, #meat is currently the default option in restaurants & #catering. Yet, vegetarian & #vegan options as the default can nudge consumption without being too controversial, as customers are still free to eat meat: morethanmeatstheeye.substack.com/p/plant-base... #plantbased

Good news to wake up to!

It's not all bad!

1/ Most of the time when we discuss global meat reduction, we’re talking about sustainability and ethics. And that’s true! Reducing animal ag would reap major wins for animal welfare & climate. But there’s another reason that I rarely see discussed: it’s good for the economy. 👇🏽

One of the biggest but under-discussed issues in animal agriculture is the heavy use of antibiotics — around 2/3 of all antibiotics in the world are given to farmed animals, not humans. ourworldindata.org/antibiotics-...

1/ 🧵 Stop Calling Foods “Vegan” — Here’s What Works Instead Names matter when shifting diets. If we want more people eating less meat, the words we use need to be chosen carefully. Read more👇

A year ago, I took the 10% Trial Pledge, to donate a significant amount of my earnings to high-impact charities every year. And I haven't looked back! www.givingwhatwecan.org/pledge

🧵 THREAD — Why don’t environmentalists focus on meat reduction, even though animal agriculture is a massive problem for the climate? I have some ideas. 👇🏼

Northern European countries are leading the way in meat reduction!

Sometimes it can be hard to see progress. That’s why it’s so important to step back every once in a while and reflect on the wins we’ve achieved. Here are ten of the biggest ones, courtesy of Lewis Bollard:

🧵 THREAD — Why menu design could be the biggest untapped vegan strategy 👇 Want more people to choose plant-based food? It’s not just about adding vegan dishes — it’s about how many there are vs animal-based ones.

1/ 🧵 If we want more people to eat plant-based foods, persuasion isn’t the answer. Defaults are. 🌱 When veg meals are the default, people choose them more. A lot more. Nearly four times as often. Here's how 👇🏽

Despite contributing a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and a whole host of other environmental problems, animal agriculture is rarely reported on. That's a problem! If people aren't reading about the issue, they won't know how to act on it.

A little bit of good news! EU pushes back decision on "veggie burger" label ban.

New study finds not only that people have lower perceptions of plant-based meats for no real reason, but that these negative beliefs are stronger in sexist people.

New from me: why plant-based defaults are the meat reduction intervention that excites me most!

Big news: Poland, the world's second biggest fur producer, banned fur farming this week. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

Today is Giving Tuesday! I work to make the animal protection movement more effective by sharing evidence-based strategies. Nearly all of my public work is pro bono and never paywalled. If you want, feel free to donate, it really helps me out! buymeacoffee.com/bjornolafsson

My yearly vegan Thanksgiving feast! No animals involved, but all the flavor and comfort!

Filling out this EU survey on animal welfare might be the biggest action you can take for animals this year. Here is the link: ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet...

Lild UK calls for mandatory plant-based protein targets! This is exactly the sort of thing I was talking about in my piece on grocery stores—it’s going to be extremely difficult to push consumers to replace animal meats with plant-based via nudges alone, we need more comprehensive strategies.

Different demographic groups eat different amounts of meat. By far the biggest demographic factor that predicts beef consumption in developed countries is gender. Men consistently eat more meat than women.

If we want to get hard-core meat-lovers to buy alternative proteins in supermarkets, the biggest factor will likely be price: they are willing to pay far less than flexitarians are.

Today, I took ten minutes to give my feedback to the EU about farmed animal welfare standards. Making sure my voice is heard can go a long way in protecting animal welfare standards! You should contribute too! Here is the link to submit! You don't even have to be European to do so!

An informative post from @bjornjohann.bsky.social ! Not only is it not easy to find effective ways to increase sales of plant-based products in supermarkets, but an increase in plant-based sales does not translate into a reduction in meat purchases! bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/p/supermarke...

Just got blocked by an influential climate writer for pointing out factual inaccuracies in their post! Look, I literally don't even use AI. I'm not a proponent or advocate. I AM a proponent of using accurate datapoints when discussing industry impacts on the environment.

Factory farming representatives are getting angry that higher-welfare meat brands are allying with animal advocates to lobby for better welfare standards for farmed animals in the US.

Good news! Tyson has agreed to stop some of their most egregious greenwashing claims!

New from me: transforming our supermarkets is crucial to reduce meat consumption, and we're going to need to use many strategies to fix them.

New study proves (again!) that animal-free diets are the best for the planet: nutritionally sound vegan diets nearly halved the carbon footprint of omnivorous diets

It's World Vegan Day! Go find a farmed animal and give them a hug.

New from me: bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

Big Meat is just as bad for the climate as Big Oil. A new report reveals that industrial meat companies emit more greenhouse gases than fossil fuel corporations, such as Shell and ExxonMobil.

Interesting — a new study shows that exposure to appeals to plant-based eating increases defensiveness and that people with anti-social personality traits are more likely to get defensive.

New from me! Why "vegan" isn't an effective word in getting people to order plant-based options on a menu. We have lots of other options, including nudging health, sustainability, and most of all, taste. I break down all the research here:

The new EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet report is crystal-clear: we are eating far too much meat than is sustainable. We need a food systems shift: more fruits, vegetables, grains, and plant proteins. Fewer animal products. Period.

I don't think celebrities are very good at shifting our diets, despite the fact that they seem to set trends and shift culture. Here's why: bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/p/vegan-cele...

This is extremely poor framing. It is not a "taste for soya" destroying the Amazon, it's a taste for meat. The VAST majority of soy grown in Brazil is due to animal agriculture, but your article never mentions this fact. Your readers are walking away with a poor understanding of this issue.

Despite the fact that animal agriculture is a huge driver of environmental destruction (causing both deforestation and GHG emissions), mainstream media outlets rarely address it. This report from Sentient shows that less than 4% of climate articles mention meat as a cause of climate change.

Celebrities aren't very good at shifting their fans' diets. Here's one possible reason why: More from me here: bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/p/vegan-cele...

Brazilian labor inspectors have shown that meat company JBS was contracting workers with "slavery-like conditions."

New from me! I don't think "ex-vegan" A-listers are actually changing people's diets one way or another. In fact, research suggests they don't have much of an impact on the food we eat at all. Read the full post for why:

This new report on the connection between food and species extinction is astounding. If we want to stop our fellow Earth creatures from going extinct, we need to change our diets and stop eating so much meat.

Meat consumption in African countries is below the EAT-Lancet recommendations and far below the averages of rich countries.

New from me! Why factory farming is a growing problem in Africa and how we can empower African advocates to change their food systems for the better.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region that's expected to see the most growth in farmed animal populations over the coming decades. Factory farming corporations from other countries like JBS are eyeing the region for growth -- which can harm animals, the environment, and locals alike