October 1st is World Vegetarian Day – a chance to think about animal suffering and reducing your impact on the planet. For many environmentalists, compassion for animals is still not included in their eco-discourse, for others it is an integral part of being green. Whether you want to alleviate suffering or just reduce your ecological footprint – going vegetarian makes good sense.
“Green people understand that conserving resources should be the first line of action. A meatless lifestyle requires less: land, water, topsoil and petro-chemicals than meat-based diets,” explains Brian Graff from the North American Vegetarian Society.
Meat has a serious impact on the environment. Livestock manure is a major contributor to greenhouse gases through its creation of methane emissions. The Union of Concerned Scientists found that animal livestock, and especially cattle, produce large quantities of methane through belching, flatulence, and dried animal waste.
Methane’s contribution to climate change is significant in that it is 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
—United States Environmental Protection Agency
Methane’s contribution to climate change is significant in that it is 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, reports the United States Environmental Protection Agency. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), livestock production is responsible for 18% of all human induced green house gas emissions. Some studies indicate livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than the transportation sector.
Consuming one meat free meal a week can be a significant contribution to alleviating animal suffering and reducing greenhouse gases.
In fact, meat is the most resource costly form of food because livestock waste most of the energy and protein value of their feed in digestion and bodily maintenance. More food can be obtained by using land to grow crops for direct human consumption as reported by Compassion in World Farming.
Many environmental organizations are advocating for the reduction of meat in our diets. Even consuming one meat free meal a week can be a significant contribution to alleviating animal suffering and reducing greenhouse gases. “Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain forms of cancer. They enjoy these benefits while dining on the infinite number of delicious dishes that can be made from plant foods, explains Gaff. “And vitally important in our current times, their environmental footprint is lighter.”
To find out more about World Vegetarian Day: http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/
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