Top 11 Environmental Benefits & Reasons for Going Vegan to Save The Planet
Resource Use Efficiency: Vegan vs Omnivorous Diets
Animal products are considered an inefficient source for energy conversion due to the extraordinary amount of resources involved in their production.
- Rearing Animals Requires Considerably More Land Use Than Plants
Did you know 80% of the planet’s total available farmland is used to rear livestock? This includes the land cows live on and the land required to grow their food. Beef production uses 36 times more land when compared to the production of peas or other similar high protein plant-based food.
- The Water Needed for An Omnivorous Diet Is Up To 7 Times Higher Than Plant-Based
If we consider that cows live for roughly two years before they are slaughtered, and each day they require up to 100 litres of water, their resource needs quickly adds up. We also must consider the irrigation of all the crops the animals consume as well.
- Eating Plants Gives Us A Chance to Slow Down Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Cool Off
Greenhouse gas emissions since the industrialisation of our planet have been accelerating climate change. Now we see how this is endangering the animal and human populations.
- Animals Produce A Devastating Amount of Agriculture’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions
If you were to eliminate meat and dairy from your diet you could save up to 1.7 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere per year.
- Less Cattle Grazing Means Less Methane Loaded Cow Burps and Farts
Another gas that is discussed far less than carbon dioxide is methane. It has a warming potential up to 30 times higher than carbon dioxide. Methane is also one of the biggest by-products of cows.
- Reduction in Chemicals Required to Grow Soybean Monocultures
The majority of the world’s cattle is currently fed on the most efficient protein energy source out there: the soya bean. These beans are grown in enormous quantities with Brazil’s expected soy plantations reaching an astonishing 30 million hectares by 2020.
- Slowing the Spread of Ocean Dead Zones Due to Chemical Run Off
One of the side effects of all these chemicals in the ocean is the creation of massive ocean dead zones. These are uninhabitable areas in the water where less oxygen is dissolved, and all mobile marine life leave the area leaving nothing behind but a biological desert.
- Keeping the ocean from Dying
Our oceans are getting depleted, and the current rate of fishing is predicted to leave our oceans virtually fishless by the year 2050.
- Eliminating Massive Monocrop Farms That Destroy Biodiversity
Basically, with less demand for animal products we can return the monoculture farms to rainforests for the native species to thrive again.
- Slowing Deforestation Caused by Clearing Forests for Cattle Ranching
Every second, an area of forest the size of two football fields is cleared somewhere on the planet – from Brazil to El Salvador.
- Saving Our Vital, Fertile Tops oils
The true future of the food revolution will come from the ground up. The key to regenerative agriculture is to build and maintain sustainable soils.
We only have one planet, so we need to start making choices considering our beautiful mother Earth. Every plant-based meal is a victory for the planet.
Thanks to Jake for his article.
Find out more on his blog
