I’m linking this study as a data resource, including 62 additional citations, to be used in any/all discussions regarding the claims by vege/vegans and others that producing animal based food is environmentally unsustainable and/or plant based food production is the only way to save the planet™. This study supplies the real numbers. If you want to jump to the conclusions just scroll down or search the page for Discussion. The following is the final paragraph.
In conclusion, our data show that the concept of the “environmental footprint” associated to the production of animal vs. vegetal protein-containing food products, needs to be re-evaluated on the basis of the content of essential amino acids in foods. The production of protein-containing animal foods would retain a (much) lower environmental impact than that previously estimated, approximately lying within the range of that of most foods of vegetal origin, because of the higher quality of animal proteins. These considerations might be useful in the political planning of the food production system, aiming at providing sufficient food for humans in the near future.
