On the date dedicated to the planet, also known as International Mother Earth Day, the organization Associação Natureza Portugal, a partner in Portugal of the international "World Wide Fund for Nature", ANP/WWF, presents a "Weekly Plan for Healthy and Sustainable Eating", available on the association's online page and which shows the portions and type of food that should make up a weekly plan for a family of four.

The plan, developed in collaboration with the Portuguese Nutrition Association, shows that what we eat "not only affects people's health but also the health of the planet".

Ângela Morgado, executive director of ANPlWWF, states in a statement about the event that "current food production has enormous impacts on ecosystems, namely in terms of biodiversity loss, and one of the greatest challenges we face is the transition to a more sustainable system that guarantees a future in terms of food security".

The association says that the plan aims to help the population make a conscious food transition, with a positive impact on reducing the current harmful effects of agricultural and fish farming production, reducing food waste and adopting healthier and more sustainable diets.

"The way we produce and consume food is putting us in a global emergency, both in nature and in our health", says ANP/WWF, stressing that food production contributes to around 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that it is the largest consumer and polluter of water resources in the world, harmful to lakes, rivers and oceans.

And it also says that in the world about 40% of all agricultural area is used to produce food, that meat, aquaculture, eggs and dairy products use about 84% of the world's agricultural land dedicated to food production, contributing to almost 60% of food emissions, despite providing only 37% of protein and 18% of calories.

In Portugal, excessive consumption of food of animal origin is the third main factor contributing to a loss of healthy life years.

On the occasion of World Earth Day, the international soil defense organization 'Save Soil' also warns that, due to unsustainable agricultural practices and excessive consumption, about half of the world's soil is already degraded.

World Earth Day, this year with the motto "Planet versus Plastics", was celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970, promoted by an American senator. The UN General Assembly formalized the day in 2009.

In addition to promoting the preservation of the environment, in a fair balance between current and future needs, the event aims to mobilize civil society to implement measures that protect the planet.

The Jacques Delors European Information Center warns in a message about the day that the Earth "is suffering", that the oceans are filling up with plastic and becoming increasingly acidic, and that extreme heat, fires and floods are affecting millions of people.

"Climate change, man-made changes to nature, as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land use change, intensification of agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the planet's destruction speed", warns the center.

Leia Também: Zero destaca palavra "suficiência" como a mais importante para humanidade (Portuguese version)