Welcome curious visitors! Today I would like to discuss a topic that has grabbed my attention and sparked a personal psychological/attitudinal change in my life. It is evident from research studies conducted globally that we are reaching our planetary boundaries. The question is, is there a way we can minimise consumption and ensure sustainable resource management? I will tell you why having a plant-based diet can be beneficial for the planet and yourself.
I have had this conversation with a number of people and it was clear that there is a huge knowledge gap in society regarding basic farming activities and the effects it has on the planet. It should really be a core subject taught to kids from a young age, even though it rarely happens. So why am I fixated on farming? I have decided to be a vegetarian due to two basic realisations. One and the most relevant to today’s blog is the carbon footprint a meat-based meal contains over a plant-based meal. Second is ethical reasoning which started when I was a teenager and that was the feeling I had when I realised another living being had to lose its life for me to enjoy a meat-based diet. This is when ethical reasoning became a major part of my life, It was difficult for me to continue eating meat but it was also really hard for me to quit. However, this is not the point of my blog today.
If meat and dairy production is ceased, 75% of the global farmland can be reduced. How big is this 75% of farmland globally? It is equivalent to the land area of the US, Australia, China and the European Union. Moreover, the remaining farmland can still support the dietary needs of the world. A report released by the FAO states that “The environmental costs per unit of livestock production must be cut by one half, just to avoid the level of damage worsening beyond its present level”. In reality, most people present the argument that meat is the main source of protein and that it is essential for the human diet. Protein is essential and it can be retrieved from plant-based diets as well. For instance, even though a majority of the farmland is used for livestock, globally it only produces 18% of food calories and 37% of protein. It is such a small number in comparison to the land it consumes and the problems it creates. Importantly let us not forget the health implications of a meat-based diet. Livestock industry consumes 80% of all antibiotics which leads to mass antibiotic resistance within the human population. Red and processed meat also lead to health conditions such as high cholesterol, heart disease and types of cancers. So all information considered, plant-based diets are a better health option as well.
Livestock farming has resulted in land degradation, water pollution, global acidification, eutrophication and a major cause for animal extinction in the last 100 years. Joseph Poore, a researcher from the University of Oxford, UK stated that “It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,” simply because it has an array of environmental issues attached to it. For every 100g of meat, beef production causes 105kg of greenhouse gases (GHG) while tofu produces less than 3.5 kg of GHGs. Also, cattle farming releases Methane (CH4) which has a higher GHG potential that Carbon dioxide, Methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Furthermore, 70% of the total freshwater globally is accounted for agricultural purposes. Many believe that fish farming is relatively more sustainable. However, Mr Poore also has evidence that due to the method of farming fish, the ponds used to farm are stagnant and the excreta released from fish are deposited at the bottom creating perfect conditions for methane production.
The statistics on livestock farming released by the FAO are alarming at the least. Total emissions from livestock farming globally amount to 7.1 Gigatonnes per year of CO2 equivalent. Of all anthropogenic GHG emissions livestock farming amounts to 14.5%. These numbers have to decrease significantly if we are to combat climate change and conserve our planet. An increasing number of countries are losing their ancient forests, nature reserves which include tropical, boreal and temperate forests. Losing these forests also symbolise the loss of its remarkable and unique fauna and flora. The WWF confirms a global biodiversity loss of 60% due to land cleared for meat-based diets. Furthermore, 70% of former forest lands in the Amazon rainforest have been converted to grazing lands for livestock farming. Latest news from Tanzania reveals a terrifying decision where the government has decided to convert wildlife reserves to farmers and livestock, this would result in significant risk to the existing biodiversity in Tanzania.
Since the 1990’s meat-based diets have been decreasing but, is the change fast enough? It is crucial that the population of the world move towards more plant-based diets if we are to limit environmental pollution and preserve a planet for future generations.
So let's make the right choice, even if it is challenging.
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