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Björn Jóhann

@bjornjohann.bsky.social

2K followers 720 following 310 posts

Professional science communicator -- working on evidence-based ways to change our food systems for good. Barcelona based. Bird dad. https://bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Jul 10

Have you heard that vegan diets are too expensive or that a plant-based food system would cost us jobs? Well.... the data says otherwise.

In my latest substack, I explore the studies that explain why reducing meat consumption would actually BENEFIT the economy.

Take a read now!

The Economic Arguments for Global Meat Reduction

These scientific studies show how meat reduction would supercharge global economies, save money, and create jobs. This is a powerful argument that is underutilized in political conversations!

open.substack.com

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 2d

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:

Stop Calling Foods “Vegan” — Here's What Works Instead

Names matter. We need to stop calling foods "vegan" and start using other, more exciting labels.

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 6d

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.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

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...

Why You (Probably) Don’t Need to Worry About Ex-Vegan Celebrities

While they can nab the limelight, influencers are less likely to be able to shift our diets to being more (or less) meat-free.

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

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.

Guardian Environment @environment.theguardian.com · 10d

How the world’s taste for soya is eating Brazil’s Amazon

Cultivation of the crop has made a few wealthy but at a huge cost to untouched forest as it spreads across vast areas of former wilderness

www.theguardian.com

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

Sources for those interested in learning more: www.plantbaseddata.org/post/the-eco...

ourworldindata.org/grapher/soyb...

The Eco Story of Soy: Environmental Impact and Solutions

In this exploration, we dive into the heart of soy's environmental narrative, where we confront questions of sustainability, weigh its global impacts, and showcase what the research shows on whether i...

www.plantbaseddata.org

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

This is a big problem. Without ensuring our sources of information are accurate, it will be hard to make real change happen.

Full report: sentientmedia.org/climate-news...

Analysis: 96.2% of Climate Stories Don’t Cover Animal Agriculture as Pollution Source

An opportunity for climate journalists to expand their coverage by including the largest source of food-related emissions.

sentientmedia.org

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 10d

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.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 17d

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...

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 20d

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

www.reuters.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 21d

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:

Why You (Probably) Don’t Need to Worry About Ex-Vegan Celebrities

While they can nab the limelight, influencers are less likely to be able to shift our diets to being more (or less) meat-free.

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 25d

Full study here: www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Food impacts on species extinction risks can vary by three orders of magnitude - Nature Food

What we eat, as well as where and how it is grown, impacts species extinction risks through agricultural land use. Using a new global biodiversity impact data product, this study estimates how many sp...

www.nature.com

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 25d

What we eat matters: we cannot keep eating such high amounts of meat in developed nations. The Earth cannot sustain it.

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 25d

As usual, the USA is disproportionately driving the problem.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 25d

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.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 28d

More from me on meat consumption trends in Africa: bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com/p/factory-fa...

Factory Farming in Africa is a Growing Problem

Plus: an exclusive look at a write-up on research gaps in the African farmed animal protection movement .

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 28d

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

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 29d

Read the full resource here: open.substack.com/pub/bjornjoh...

Factory Farming in Africa is a Growing Problem

Plus: an exclusive look at a write-up on research gaps in the African farmed animal protection movement .

open.substack.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · 29d

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.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 9

Factory Farming in Africa is a Growing Problem

Plus: an exclusive look at a write-up on research gaps in the African farmed animal protection movement .

bjornjohannolafsson.substack.com

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 9

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

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 8

This is why it's so important to keep this in mind when discussing meat reduction initiatives -- if people swap beef for chicken, the number of animals in factory farms will actually grow, not shrink.

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 8

Because of how small chickens are (and how popular it is to eat them), nearly all of the factory-farmed land animals in the US are chickens.

This is often called the Small Body Problem: as people eat smaller animals, they need to eat more of them.

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Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 3

Sneak peak of my post that comes out tomorrow — the number of farmed animals in Africa is expected to grow massively over the coming decades. Is this a cause for concern?

Björn Jóhann @bjornjohann.bsky.social · Sep 2

Big growth in plant-based foods at Lidl! Great to see supermarkets living up to their sustainability promises.

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