Environmental Reasons to Cut Meat Out of Your Diet
Do you need more reasons to become a vegetarian? Vegetarian’s have long known that passing up the meat in favor of veggies is an important step to take toward conserving the planet’s resources, but it has only been within the past couple years that major studies have come out to support this fact. Here’s a look at just a few of the shocking findings that have been uncovered by a variety of reputable organizations:
· The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) published a study called “Livestock’s Long Shadow” in 2006 in which it revealed that the livestock industry is the cause of 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
· The country of Brazil reported that it lost 12,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest in a one year period, mainly due to cattle ranchers and soy producers who are supplying animal feed to European markets
· Raising a livestock uses far more water than growing vegetables, with 1 kilogram of meat taking about 200 times more water to produce than the same amount o wheat
· In the United States, farm animals consume 5 calories of food for every 1 calorie of food they produce, while farm animals in India consume less than 1.5 calories for every calorie consumed. In Kenya, on the other hand, livestock provides more calories than it consumes.
So, even if you aren’t quite ready to cut the meat out of your diet entirely, you should seriously consider going “meat free” at least one day per week. This way, you can help reduce the negative environmental impact that meat-eating creates. And, who knows, you may just decide you like passing on the meat once you discover how great your body feels!
Tags: environment, Food and Agriculatural Organisation, vegetarian