{"id":16985,"date":"2021-02-24T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=16985"},"modified":"2021-02-17T14:40:52","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T19:40:52","slug":"vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/24\/vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan and Vegetarian Diets and Our Climate Emergency: Scientific Updates [2015-2021]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"293\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/vrglogogreensmall-1-293x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/vrglogogreensmall-1-293x300.jpg 293w, https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/vrglogogreensmall-1-768x786.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/vrglogogreensmall-1.jpg 921w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\nBy Jeanne Yacoubou, MS\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, The Vegetarian Resource Group highlights\nseveral recent (2015 to the present) scientific reports that reveal the\nrelationships between dietary choices and our climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background on Our Climate Crisis\nand Current State of the Emergency<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In November 2019, 11,000 scientists from 153 countries\ndeclared a <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/bioscience\/article\/70\/1\/8\/5610806\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">climate emergency<\/a> in an article published in <em>BioScience<\/em>.\nThe emergency is driven by fossil fuel burning releasing greenhouse gases\n(GHG), especially carbon dioxide, that began in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/fossil-fuels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">early 1800s<\/a> with\nthe rise of industry. The burning has accelerated rapidly since then. Life as\nwe know it on a habitable Earth is at stake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41558-020-00955-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scientists\nreported<\/a> new calculations that reveal the <strong>under<\/strong>estimation of earlier\npredictions about the degree of temperature increase <em>already locked in<\/em>\nfrom past and current fossil fuel use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the new research, an increase of 2.3<sup>0<\/sup>C\nis <em>guaranteed<\/em>, but can be delayed if measures are taken <em>now<\/em> to\nsignificantly reduce or eliminate burning of coal, oil, and methane gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)\nstated in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/sr15\/\">2018 report<\/a> that limiting\ntemperature increase to 1.5<sup>0<\/sup>C above pre-industrial levels will avert\nthe worst case scenario of extreme weather and sea level rise. The <a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/process-and-meetings\/the-paris-agreement\/the-paris-agreement\">Paris\nClimate Accord<\/a> of 2015 is a voluntary agreement among nations to reach this\ngoal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emphasizing the gravity and urgency of the matter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fcosc.2020.615419\/full\">19\nscientists<\/a> wrote in a January 2021 article published in <em>Frontiers in\nConservation Science<\/em>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its life forms\u2014including\nhumanity\u2014is in fact so great that it is difficult to grasp for even\nwell-informed experts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To better grasp the problem and propose solutions, ecologist\nWilliam Ripple and several other scientists in January 2021 developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/the-climate-emergency-2020-in-review\/?utm_source=media&amp;utm_medium=email%20social&amp;utm_campaign=SA\">6-step\nplan<\/a> to reduce or eliminate fossil fuel use. Of interest to vegetarians and\nvegans, <strong>three<\/strong> of the six points are directly related to dietary choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Short-lived\npollutant reductions.<\/strong> The\nauthors target methane, the greenhouse gas <a href=\"https:\/\/unece.org\/challenge\">84\ntimes<\/a>&nbsp; more powerful than carbon\ndioxide. A major source of methane is animal agriculture, especially beef\nproduction. (Note: Inaccurate assessment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2241347-fracking-wells-in-the-us-are-leaking-loads-of-planet-warming-methane\/\">methane\nleaks<\/a> from fracking and from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thearcticinstitute.org\/permafrost-thaw-warming-world-arctic-institute-permafrost-series-fall-winter-2020\/\">thawing\npermafrost<\/a> are not considered in making this statement because these data\nare only estimates right now. When confirmed, agriculture&#8217;s contribution to\ntotal methane production would be lessened but still present.)&nbsp; <\/li><li><strong>Habitat\ndestruction reductions.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalforestwatch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Deforestation<\/a> to\nmake room for livestock grazing or planting livestock feed is a major concern.\nSo, too, is cutting down <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-018-31683-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mangrove\nforests<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unenvironment.org\/news-and-stories\/story\/peatlands-store-twice-much-carbon-all-worlds-forests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">peatlands<\/a> especially for rice paddies and palm oil\nplantations. Palm oil <a href=\"https:\/\/www.palmoilfreecertification.org\/alternate-names-for-palm-oil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ingredients<\/a> are found in hundreds of food and cosmetic\nproducts. <\/li><li><strong>Fewer\nanimal foods and more plants in human diets. Waste food less.<\/strong> Not only an important way to reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4441\/12\/10\/2696\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">water<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/agricultural-land-by-global-diets\">land use<\/a>\nto produce food, significant reductions in <a href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/food-choice-vs-eating-local\">greenhouse gases<\/a>\nresult. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scale of Animal Agriculture Impact on Climate Change: Carbon\nEmissions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How much does animal agriculture contribute to our climate\ncrisis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/resources\/data-visualizations\/world-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2016\">World\nResources Institute<\/a> assembled the latest available data (2016) from\ncredible sources including the International Energy Agency and concluded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Total\nannual world emissions was 49.4 GT CO<sub>2eq<\/sub>. (73% carbon dioxide CO<sub>2<\/sub>,\n17% methane CH<sub>4<\/sub>, and 6% nitrous oxide NO<sub>2<\/sub>)<\/li><li>The\ntop three carbon polluters: China\n(26%), USA\n(13%) European Union (8%)<\/li><li>The\nbreakdown of major emissions by sector: Energy in transportation (16%); Energy\nfor electricity\/heating (30%); Energy for manufacturing\/construction (12%)<\/li><li>Agriculture\n(12%) <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Made up of 6% livestock\/manure and 6% from soils. Manure is a\nmajor source of methane and nitrous oxide (another extremely potent greenhouse\ngas). &nbsp;Fertilizer is a major source of\nnitrous oxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Land\nuse change, forestry 7% (burning 4%)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/research.wri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2019-07\/WRR_Food_Full_Report_0.pdf\">July\n2019 report<\/a> published by the World Resources Institute, the World Bank\nGroup, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations\nDevelopment Programme, further information is given about livestock&#8217;s\ncontributions to environmental use and greenhouse gas emissions: \u201cRuminant\nlivestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) use two-thirds of global agricultural land\nand contribute roughly half of agriculture\u2019s production-related emissions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the enormity of the carbon pollution stemming from\nlivestock, the authors do not clearly recommend a switch to a vegan diet as a\nway to mitigate the impact of livestock on our climate emergency. They mention\nonly \u201c&#8230;shifting the diets of high meat consumers toward plant-based foods\u201d\nand \u201cplant-based beef substitutes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/srccl\/\">2019 special report<\/a>\ntitled <em>Climate Change and Land<\/em>, the IPCC mentions \u201cdietary choices\u201d in\nreference to how climate change can be curbed, but does not specify vegan or\nvegetarian diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the report: \u201cBalanced diets, featuring plant-based foods,\nsuch as those based on coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, nuts and\nseeds, and animal-sourced food produced in resilient, sustainable and\nlow-greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation\nand mitigation while generating significant co-benefits in terms of human\nhealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other notable points from this document:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>70% of\nfreshwater is used for agriculture<\/li><li>25-30%\nof all food is wasted (responsible for 8-10% of all emissions). <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recent Scientific Reports on Carbon Emissions and Animal\nAgriculture in Relation to Plant-based Diets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vegetarian Resource Group looked closely at the\nenvironmental consequences of animal agriculture with its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/journal\/vj2009issue1\/2009_issue1_water_pollution.php\">2009\narticle<\/a> on the United Nations&#8217; report titled <em>Livestock&#8217;s Long Shadow<\/em>.\nIn that piece, the focus was on water pollution caused by livestock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since that time, many researchers have analyzed the <em>carbon\nemissions<\/em> associated with raising animals intensively for food. Here are\nbrief summaries of some of their reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>&#8220;The climate\nmitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most\neffective individual actions&#8221; <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. In 2017, Seth Wynes and Kimberly A Nicholas published <a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.1088\/1748-9326\/aa7541\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an article<\/a> that quantified the effects of lifestyle\nchoices in terms of tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, <em>tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub><\/em>\n(taking into account methane, nitrous oxide and other chemicals that have\nsubstantial global warming potential) produced when people engage in certain\nactivities. They concluded that individuals would contribute the greatest\nreduction by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Having\nfewer children (58.6 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved every year per child)*<\/li><li>Going\ncar-less (2.4 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved per year)*<\/li><li>Avoiding\nflying (1.6 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved per round transatlantic trip)*<\/li><li>Buying\ngreen energy (1.5 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved per year)<\/li><li>Buying\na more efficient gasoline-powered car (1.19 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved per year)<\/li><li>Buying\nan electric car (1.15 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> saved per year)<\/li><li>Choosing\na plant-based diet (0.8 tCO<sub>2eq<\/sub> per year)* <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the authors, all of the above actions are\nconsidered \u201chigh-impact (i.e., low-emissions).\u201d The four which are asterisked\nare recommended as the <em>most important <\/em>you can take to lower your\npersonal fossil fuel footprint. Although they do not use the word \u201cvegan\u201d to\ndescribe the \u201cplant-based diet,\u201d it appears from the writing that a vegan diet\nis implied. The VRG has reached out to the authors on this point, but have not\nyet received a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Calculation of external climate costs for food highlights inadequate pricing of animal products&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. A report published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-19474-6\">December 2020<\/a>\nconducted life cycle assessments of\nvarious agricultural products in Germany. The most significant\nfinding was that there is <strong>practically no difference<\/strong> between the carbon\nemissions resulting from organic versus conventional beef production. Organic\nchicken fared <strong>worse<\/strong> than conventionally raised chicken in terms of its\ncontribution to greenhouse gases. Organic and non-organic cow&#8217;s milk had\nsimilar carbon emission profiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By contrast, organic plant foods are responsible for 50% <strong>less<\/strong>\nemissions than plant foods treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.\nAll plant production resulted in significantly less carbon emissions than\nanimal foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Substituting beans for beef as a contribution toward US climate change targets&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. A <a href=\"https:\/\/ideas.repec.org\/a\/spr\/climat\/v143y2017i1d10.1007_s10584-017-1969-1.html\">study<\/a>\npublished in 2017 compared the\nenvironmental costs of beef versus beans. It concluded: \u201cOur results demonstrate\nthat substituting one food for another, beans for beef, could achieve\napproximately 46 to 74% of the reductions needed to meet the 2020 GHG target\nfor the US.\nIn turn, this shift would free up 42% of US cropland (692,918 km<sup>2<\/sup>).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;The environmental cost of protein food choices&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. An earlier look at this topic from some of the same\nresearchers <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25374332\/\">in 2015<\/a>\nconcluded: \u201cTo produce 1 kg of protein from kidney beans required approximately\neighteen times less land, ten times less water, nine times less fuel, twelve\ntimes less fertilizer and ten times less pesticide in comparison to producing 1\nkg of protein from beef. Compared with producing 1 kg of protein from chicken\nand eggs, beef generated five to six times more waste (manure) to produce 1 kg\nof protein.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Food in the Anthropocene: the\nEAT\u2013Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(18)31788-4\/fulltext\">EAT-Lancet\nCommission<\/a> (2019) published an extensive review of the environmental\nconsequences of food choices. Its major conclusions echoed many of the findings\nnoted here from other researchers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, this report showed changes in food production\npractices (such as using feed additives, manure management, better <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/environment\/grain_meat_conversion_ratios.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">feed conversion ratios<\/a>) could decrease total greenhouse gas\nemissions by only <strong>10%<\/strong>. However, dietary changes that increase plant\nfoods could decrease emissions by <strong>80%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>EAT-Lancet also divided up agriculture&#8217;s greenhouse gas share\nin this manner (top three listed here):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/in-action\/enteric-methane\/background\/what-is-enteric-methane\/en\/\">Enteric\nfermentation<\/a> by ruminants: 25%<\/li><li>Manure\n(direct\/indirect): 31% <\/li><li>Deforestation\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/srccl\/chapter\/chapter-3\/\">desertification<\/a> 35%<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>6. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/11\/15\/4110\">2019\nreview article<\/a> from the journal <em>Sustainability<\/em> compared many studies\nlooking at environmental impacts of vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diets. Some\nof the relevant points included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cLivestock\nfarming uses 70% of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/ag\/agn\/nutrition\/Indicatorsfiles\/Agriculture.pdf\">agricultural\nland<\/a> overall and a third of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/ag\/agn\/nutrition\/Indicatorsfiles\/Agriculture.pdf\">arable\nland<\/a>. As such, it plays a major role in CO<sub>2<\/sub> release and\nbiodiversity loss from deforestation.\u201d <\/li><li>&nbsp;\u201cMany vegans replace animal-based products\nwith processed plant-based meat and dairy substitutes (e.g., seitan burger and\nsoy yoghurt) instead of consuming the unprocessed, plant-based nutritious\nfoods&#8230;The vegan diet may not have a lower environmental footprint than the\nlacto-ovo vegetarian diet. The reason for this is that vegans tend to replace\nanimal-based products in their diet by industrially, highly processed\nplant-based meats and dairy substitutes.\u201d <\/li><li>\u201cThe\nreviewed studies indicate the possibility of achieving the same environmental\nimpact as that of the vegan diet, without excluding the meat and dairy food\ngroups, but rather, by reducing them substantially.\u201d <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Takeaways on Plant-based Diets, Climate, and Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Agriculture (12%) and the burning of forests (4%) to plant\nfeed crops or graze cattle are responsible for approximately 16% of all\ngreenhouse gas emissions. This is comparable to the carbon emissions from the\ntransportation sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A July 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/research.wri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2019-07\/WRR_Food_Full_Report_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joint report<\/a> from several major international organizations\nstated: \u201cRuminant livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) use two-thirds of global\nagricultural land and contribute roughly half of agriculture\u2019s\nproduction-related emissions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a rough estimate using the information of the two\nparagraphs above: 2\/3 x 12% = 8% of all emissions from ruminant production + 4%\nfrom burning = 12% out of the total 16% from agricultural emissions is due to\nruminant production alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are ways to reduce significantly animal agriculture&#8217;s\ncontribution to our climate crisis by switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet.\nIn fact, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(18)31788-4\/fulltext\">EAT-Lancet\nreport<\/a> in 2019 stated that dietary changes which increase plant foods in\nhuman diets could decrease carbon emissions (from the agricultural sector) by <strong>80%<\/strong>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, major international organizations and\nmainstream media do not clearly make the recommendation to switch to a vegan or\nvegetarian diet for climate change mitigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Individual actions, including switching to a vegan or\nvegetarian diet, to curb the negative effects of our climate crisis matter by\nreducing personal fossil fuel footprints. They also have a bigger impact in\nthat they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.journals.uchicago.edu\/doi\/10.1093\/reep\/rez009\">serve\nas examples<\/a> for others to emulate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, systemic change \u2013 notably the drastic and immediate\nreduction or elimination of fossil fuel use \u2013 is needed to prevent worst case\nscenarios of extreme weather and sea level rise from happening even more than\nthey already are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Note from the Editor<\/em>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See other environmental articles from The Vegetarian Resource Group at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/environment\/\">https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/environment\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/links\/EnvironmentalInformation.htm\">https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/links\/EnvironmentalInformation.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS In this article, The Vegetarian Resource Group highlights several recent (2015 to the present) scientific reports that reveal the relationships between dietary choices and our climate crisis. Background on Our Climate Crisis and Current State of the Emergency In November 2019, 11,000 scientists from 153 countries declared a climate emergency in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16985"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17022,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16985\/revisions\/17022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}