Part II: Environmental Impact
In a previous post, here, we covered the health reasons for adopting a whole food, plant based, vegan (WFPBV) dietary lifestyle. As we learned more about this type of diet, we became increasingly aware of and disconcerted by the horrific consequences that the animal agriculture industry is having on the planet. The debate is, naturally, still raging. In this article, it is my intention to relate to you what we’ve learned and why that has helped to solidify the resolve behind our consumption.
As we said in Part I, we are not militant in any way. We will never condemn anyone for making different choices than we do. Having said that, I do encourage anyone that feels skeptical to do the research. Be sure as you look into the studies that you are paying attention to who funded the studies and what exactly is being studied. For example, there is a study that shows that lettuce requires more resources to produce than pork, calorie for calorie. Which, in the laboratory setting, is an accurate statement. However, it has NO basis in real life. The people touting the study don’t say that, though. They tend to concentrate on the study in a piece meal way. Meanwhile, if you consider the difference in volume, there is simply no comparison. The amount of lettuce we would have to consume to equal the calories in a serving of four slices of bacon would be 93 cups! Given that, doesn’t it make sense that we can’t possibly fit as much lettuce in our bellies as we can bacon? And, given that, does it really make sense to claim that lettuce production is more resource intensive than raising pigs?
Now then, let’s talk some numbers. I have cited my sources below for all the following:
- 24% of global GHGs (Greenhouse Gas) is produced from agriculture and forestry. That’s 2x as much as is produced by ALL transportation combined. This includes cars, trucks, planes, trains, and ships.
- For every 4 oz serving of beef that is produced, 330 grams of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. By contrast, each serving of vegetables produces a mere 14 grams of carbon dioxide.
- Livestock are responsible for 14% of total GHG emissions. Cows alone produce more GHG than 22 million cars per year.
- 30% of the land area OF THE PLANET is devoted to livestock in some fashion, whether that be pasture land, or land used to grow animal feed. We use 8x as much land to feed animals as we do for humans. This accounts for a large portion of Amazon deforestation.
- It takes 468 gallons of water to produce a single pound of chicken. It takes 1800 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of beef. For wheat, that figure drops dramatically to 132 gallons per pound produced.
- Methane is 21x more powerful than carbon dioxide and is an unavoidable byproduct of animal husbandry. The more animals we require to meet the demand, the more exponential harm is begin done.
- Nitrous oxide has 300x the effect of carbon dioxide on the environment. Cow manure, of which 500 million tons is produced annually, accounts for 2/3 of worldwide nitrous oxide.
- Run off from fertilizer and manure causes dead zones in water ecosystems. These dead zones are created when the fertilizer and/or manure rob the water of its oxygen.
So, in a nutshell, it’s just plain better for the planet to pick up some chicpeas instead of chicken, some meaty portabella steaks instead of beef, and, despite the recent CMU study, lettuce instead of bacon. Those are the reinforcements for our dietary change choices.
As we continue to grow into this lifestyle, choices in the other areas of our lives are also being effected. We’ll have more on that later. As always, these are just our opinions based on the available body of evidence. Please, do your own research and share with us.
How About You?
What are your thoughts on the effects of the animal industry? Do you have plans to reduce your footprint? If so, share them in the comments below.
Sources:
Very informative article. Thank you for sharing!