How is a diet heavy in animal based foods damaging to the environment?

A diet heavy in animal-based foods contributes significantly to environmental damage through increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water resource depletion. Livestock farming requires vast amounts of land, water, and feed, leading to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. Additionally, methane emissions from cattle and other livestock are potent greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change. Overall, the environmental footprint of animal agriculture is substantially higher than that of plant-based food production.