How the Meat Industry Is Destroying Our Planet
Overwhelming evidence demonstrates that climate change caused by human activities has devastated the environment: glaciers are shrinking, air quality is worsening, the ocean is becoming more acidic, and coral reefs are dying. Our society needs to make fundamental changes to our systems of energy and transportation to slow climate change and its catastrophic effects. But while these vast structural changes appear daunting and unreachable to most people, a third, highly effective way to combat climate change on an individual level is to reduce our consumption of meat.
Agriculture, which includes the meat and livestock industry, is one of the most significant abundant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. It accounts for nearly ten percent of global emissions. The mass raising of animals for food demands enormous quantities of land, energy, and water. If this pattern of land use continues, NASA predicts that average temperatures will continue to rise, droughts and heat waves will become more frequent, hurricanes will become stronger, and the polar ice caps will thaw more rapidly.
A solution to the current unsustainable level of animal-based food production, and one which allows individuals to greatly reduce their carbon footprints, is veganism. Research from Oxford University in 2018 found that going vegan may be the single most efficient way for individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emission. A single cow drinks up to 50 gallons of water per day, and to produce one gallon of milk it requires 683 gallons of water. To produce a pound of beef requires 2,400 gallons of water, while a pound of tofu only takes 244. This water is taken from the earth’s limited freshwater reservoirs, and instead of being used for something necessary, it is being wasted on meat production. Fruits and vegetables use nearly 27 times less water than meat, and while a healthy diet requires protein, a vegan diet offers abundant sources of it, despite cultural myths to the contrary. For example, beans and lentils, along with tofu and other soy-based products, are great sources of protein.
The idea of becoming vegan or vegetarian intimidates many people who are used to consuming animal products as a foundation of their diets. But one easy step to decrease your personal contribution to climate change is to simply reduce your meat intake, rather than eliminating it. It might be difficult to make a sacrifice for an invisible impact on climate change and the environment, so here’s another major reason to cut down on your consumption of meat, specifically, red meat. Several studies have shown ties between red meat and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as other health conditions, like diabetes. Reducing your meat intake not only benefits the planet but also your health.
Furthermore, eating a plant-based diet is beneficial because growing produce takes up 20 times less land than raising animals. The massive amount of land needed for livestock farming leads to deforestation, and when trees are cut down, all the carbon dioxide that was being stored in the tree is released into the air. In addition to destroying land, the meat industry is also decimating marine ecosystems. Common fishing methods such as bottom trawling and long-lining sweep all the life off of the ocean floor, causing coral reefs to die. Coral reefs protect shorelines from waves, storms, and floods, making them vital to preventing property damage and loss of life. They are home to thousands of species of marine life.
The catastrophic effects of climate change already cause over 150,000 deaths per year, and the impact of climate change on the future of human civilization cannot be overstated. Climate change represents an existential threat to our societies and ways of life.. But by reducing meat consumption, a relatively minor change, individuals can take a major step to begin combating global warming.
By Violet Kottke