Save the Planet, Put Down that Hamburger (2024)

FAQs

Why won't eating less meat save the planet? ›

livestock only accounts for 3.9% of emissions and everyone is talking about the environmental impact of beef, but cows are only 2% of emissions. So even if we were to cut out livestock in order to reduce those emissions, you have to remember the emissions from growing more crops for food would rise.

Today, the UN says meat and dairy (farmed livestock) accounts for 11.2% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. But, if we all went vegan, scientists believe the world's food-related emissions might drop by 68% within 15 years, limiting global warming.

But we all must develop “meat consciousness” and reduce the level of meat in our diets. Shifting to more plant-based foods is essential to combatting climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and myriad other problems caused by industrial livestock production.

The biggest difference seen in the study was for emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas produced by cattle and sheep, which were 93% lower for vegan diets compared with high-meat diets.

Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Processed meats also make the risk of death from these diseases go up. And what you don't eat also can harm your health.

“It would be a huge net win for the environment,” Dutkiewicz said. By one estimate, a complete phaseout of meat over 15 years would cut as much as one-third of all methane emissions and two-thirds of all nitrous oxide emissions. Water use would fall drastically. Biodiversity loss would slow.

The analysis found that plant-based diets produce 75 percent less heat-trapping gas, generate 75 percent less water pollution, and use 75 percent less land than meat-rich diets — those that include at least 100 grams of meat daily, the equivalent of one steak around the size of a deck of cards.

If we all gave up meat, around eight million fewer people would die each year, as a result of lower levels of heart disease, strokes and cancer. But most crops have lower levels of micronutrients per calorie than meat – especially vitamins A, B12 and D, and some essential fatty acids.

Check out how much carbon you could save by choosing vegetarian or vegan options over meat or fish: 1 vegetarian day per week (52 days a year) can save nearly 100kgs of CO2 per year. 1 vegetarian week per month (12 weeks a year) can save nearly 153kgs of CO2 per year.

Swap a beef burger for a chicken one, and you'll cut the carbon footprint of your dinner by around 80%.

Which meat is worse for the environment? ›

The worst types of meat for the environment include beef, lamb and mutton, pork, and also some farmed fish products.

Why is cutting out red meat a good idea healthwise? For one, its consumption is linked to increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, endometriosis, and more.

Unprocessed plant foods are good sources of antioxidants and are found widely in vegan diets. Antioxidants help protect the body's cells from oxidative stress, which is related to many chronic diseases. Therefore, vegan advocates often feel comfortable concluding that eating vegan extends one's potential lifespan.

Specifically, they found that those who consumed plant-based meats fell below the daily requirements for calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B12. Plus, those eating these foods exceeded the reference values for sugar, saturated fat and sugar. This group did consume more fiber than the meat-eaters.

Meat-eaters suffer less anxiety and depression than vegans and vegetarians. A meta-analysis examined the effects of meat consumption on mental health, revealing significant differences between those mental health and those who don't.

According to United Nations researchers, soil erosion could cause a loss of 75 billion tons of soils by the year 2050. The meat and dairy industries also extracts a massive amount of water to raise farm animals — producing just one pound of beef requires 2,400 gallons of water, for instance.

By choosing a vegetarian diet instead of one loaded with animal products, individuals can dramatically reduce the amount of land, water, and oil resources that they consume and the amount of pollution they otherwise might cause.

The 1.5 billion cows on the planet will increase by 400 million by 2050. The number of chickens will increase five-fold. One cow emits as much greenhouse gas as burning 600 litres of petrol. We have lost a third of the world's biodiversity to livestock farming.

“Meat uses up a lot of resources and a vegetarian diet consumes a lot less land and water. One of the best things you can do about climate change is reduce the amount of meat in your diet.” The UN has warned that meat consumption is on course to double by the middle of the century.