Men’s Diets Hurt the Climate More Than Women’s

For the study, the international research team analyzed 72 sociodemographic groups across 165 countries. Overall, men’s diets generate substantially higher CO2 emissions than women’s. The median dietary carbon footprint is 4.36 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per day for men, compared with 3.43 kilograms for women. Globally, people living in urban areas have higher diet-related emissions than those living in rural areas.

The largest environmental footprint was found among highly educated men aged 15 to 34 living in cities. Their dietary carbon footprint is nearly 45 percent higher than the global median. The lowest values were observed among women aged 35 to 54 with lower levels of education living in rural areas. Similar patterns were found for water use and land use.

“Our study shows that the carbon footprint of diets increases with educational attainment,” says co-author Martin Bruckner of the WU Institute for Ecological Economics. While education can foster environmental awareness and more sustainable behavior, it is often associated with higher incomes and greater purchasing power. “People who earn more and can afford to consume more often leave a larger environmental footprint. That may be an uncomfortable reality, but this is precisely why we need to take it seriously,” Bruckner points out.

Healthy diets are better for the climate, water resources, and land

The analysis combines dietary data, population data, and information on global supply chains to calculate the environmental impacts of different dietary patterns. The results show that healthier diets tend to place less strain on the environment: As diet quality improves, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use all decline. Diets that emphasize plant-based foods perform particularly well from both a health and an environmental perspective.

“Health and sustainability are not at odds with each other. A more plant-based diet is good not only for our own health but also for the planet,” says Bruckner. “If we fail to change our eating habits voluntarily, climate change will eventually force that change upon us.”

What it will take to transform the food system

The global food system is responsible for 25 to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Austria aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. According to Bruckner, “Without significant

changes to the way our food system operates, reaching climate neutrality will be extremely difficult.”

Alongside general dietary guidelines, tailored strategies are needed for different population groups. Bruckner also sees an urgent need for policy action: “Policymakers influence which foods are affordable, available, and attractive to consumers. If we want people to change what they eat, governments must create the conditions that make those choices easier. Agricultural subsidies, tax incentives, and public procurement policies are all powerful tools for reshaping the food system.”

Further Information

Taherzadeh, Oliver, Schoorlemmer, Arthur, Behrens, Paul, Bruckner, Martin, Cai, Hongyi (2026): Dietary environmental impacts and quality differ by socio-demographic characteristics. In: Nature Food (2026). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01389-y