An interactive web-based simulation that visualizes the global environmental, health, and ethical impacts of dietary choices. Adjust the world's diet distribution and watch how it affects our planet over time.
- Real-time Simulation: Watch environmental indicators change as years progress
- Interactive Diet Controls: Adjust the global population distribution across 5 diet types
- 8 Environmental & Health Indicators: Track CO₂, land use, water use, health, population, biodiversity, food security, and animal lives
- Retro Pixel Art Aesthetic: CRT-style visuals with animated pixel globe
- Timeline Graphs: Visualize historical trends of all indicators
- Keyboard Controls: Space to play/pause, arrow keys to adjust speed
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Start development server
npm run dev
# Build for production
npm run build- Adjust Diet Distribution: Use the sliders to set the percentage of the global population following each diet type (Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Mixed, Carnivore)
- Start Simulation: Press SPACE or click the Play button
- Observe Changes: Watch how the indicators evolve over time
- Experiment: Try different scenarios - what happens if 50% of the world goes vegan? What about 100%?
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Play/Pause simulation |
| ↑ / → | Increase speed |
| ↓ / ← | Decrease speed |
This simulator is built on peer-reviewed scientific research and data from reputable organizations. Here's a breakdown of the science behind each metric:
| Diet | Description | % of Current Population |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan | No animal products | ~1% |
| Vegetarian | No meat, includes dairy/eggs | ~5% |
| Pescatarian | No meat except fish/seafood | ~3% |
| Mixed (Omnivore) | Average global diet | ~85% |
| Carnivore | High meat consumption | ~6% |
Sources: Poore & Nemecek (2018), Scarborough et al. (2014)
Food systems account for approximately 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint varies dramatically by diet:
| Diet | CO₂ (tonnes/person/year) |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 1.5 |
| Vegetarian | 2.5 |
| Pescatarian | 2.9 |
| Mixed | 3.8 |
| Carnivore | 5.5 |
Key Insight: A vegan diet produces 60% less food-related emissions than a high-meat diet. This is primarily due to:
- Livestock methane emissions (cattle, sheep)
- Feed crop production energy
- Land use change (deforestation for grazing)
Sources: Our World in Data, Poore & Nemecek (2018)
Agriculture uses approximately 50 million km² globally - about 50% of habitable land. Livestock farming is incredibly land-intensive:
| Diet | Land Use (hectares/person/year) |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 0.13 |
| Vegetarian | 0.25 |
| Pescatarian | 0.22 |
| Mixed | 0.43 |
| Carnivore | 0.65 |
Key Insight: A vegan diet requires 80% less land than a carnivore diet. This is because:
- Livestock need grazing land
- Feed crops require additional agricultural land
- 77% of agricultural land is used for livestock but produces only 18% of calories
Source: Water Footprint Network
Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of freshwater withdrawals globally. Animal products have significantly higher water footprints:
| Diet | Water Use (m³/person/day) |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 1.1 |
| Vegetarian | 1.8 |
| Pescatarian | 1.5 |
| Mixed | 2.5 |
| Carnivore | 3.5 |
Key Insight: Producing 1kg of beef requires approximately 15,000 liters of water, compared to 1,500 liters for 1kg of wheat.
Sources: World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Harvard Health Studies
Diet significantly impacts chronic disease risk:
| Diet | Health Factor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan | 1.15 | Lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers |
| Vegetarian | 1.10 | Reduced cardiovascular risk |
| Pescatarian | 1.08 | Omega-3 benefits from fish |
| Mixed | 1.00 | Baseline |
| Carnivore | 0.88 | Higher processed meat consumption linked to health risks |
Key Research:
- IARC classified processed meat as Group 1 carcinogen
- Adventist Health Studies show vegetarians live 3-7 years longer on average
- Plant-based diets reduce heart disease risk by up to 40%
Source: WWF Living Planet Report, IPBES Global Assessment
The current biodiversity index stands at approximately 68% compared to 1970 levels - we've lost nearly a third of wildlife populations.
Diet Impact on Biodiversity:
- Animal agriculture is the leading cause of habitat destruction
- 80% of Amazon deforestation is linked to cattle ranching
- Fishing causes significant marine ecosystem disruption
| Diet | Annual Biodiversity Loss Factor |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 0.02 |
| Vegetarian | 0.05 |
| Pescatarian | 0.08 |
| Mixed | 0.12 |
| Carnivore | 0.18 |
Concept: Trophic Level Energy Transfer
When animals eat plants, only ~10% of the energy is converted to meat (the "10% rule" in ecology). This creates massive inefficiency:
| Diet | Food Efficiency Factor |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 1.0 (direct plant consumption) |
| Vegetarian | 0.7 |
| Pescatarian | 0.65 |
| Mixed | 0.4 |
| Carnivore | 0.25 |
Key Insight: The world currently produces enough food to feed 10 billion people, but much of it feeds livestock instead of humans. A shift toward plant-based diets could significantly improve global food security.
Sources: FAO, Fishcount.org.uk, Faunalytics
The simulator tracks all animals killed for food excluding insects:
| Category | Approximate Annual Deaths (Billions) |
|---|---|
| Fish | 1,000-2,000 |
| Crustaceans (shrimp, crabs) | 300-500 |
| Mollusks (mussels, squid) | ~100 |
| Land Animals | ~70 |
| Total (estimated) | ~1,500 billion |
| Diet | Animals Killed (per person/year) |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 0 |
| Vegetarian | ~3 (indirect: male chicks, etc.) |
| Pescatarian | ~250 (high fish/seafood) |
| Mixed | ~180 |
| Carnivore | ~350 |
-
Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). "Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers." Science, 360(6392), 987-992. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaq0216
-
Scarborough, P., et al. (2014). "Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK." Climatic Change, 125(2), 179-192.
-
Our World in Data - Environmental Impacts of Food Production. ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food
-
Water Footprint Network - Product Water Footprints. waterfootprint.org
-
IPBES (2019) - Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
-
WWF Living Planet Report (2022) - Wildlife population trends.
-
Fishcount.org.uk - Estimating numbers of fish caught.
-
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization livestock statistics.
- React 19 - UI framework
- Vite 7 - Build tool & dev server
- Zustand - State management
- Recharts - Timeline graphs
- Custom CSS - Retro pixel art aesthetic
src/
├── components/
│ ├── DietSliders/ # Diet distribution controls
│ ├── IndicatorPanel/ # Environmental metrics display
│ ├── PixelGlobe/ # Animated pixel art globe
│ ├── SimulationControls/ # Play/pause/speed controls
│ ├── TimelineGraph/ # Historical data visualization
│ └── YearDisplay/ # Current simulation year
├── simulation/
│ ├── constants.js # Scientific constants & baselines
│ └── simulationEngine.js # Core simulation calculations
├── store/
│ └── useSimulationStore.js # Global state management
└── styles/
├── pixelArt.css # Retro styling
└── variables.css # CSS custom properties
Contributions are welcome! If you have access to more recent scientific data or can improve the simulation models, please open a pull request.
This simulator is for educational purposes. While based on scientific research, it uses simplified models and should not be used for policy decisions. Real-world outcomes depend on many factors not captured here.
MIT License - Feel free to use, modify, and distribute.
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it." — Robert Swan