You’ve probably heard a vegan friend citing why producing meat is so unsustainable, maybe you even watched a documentary on veganism and passed them off as cult fanatics who would state ridiculous statistics in order to prove a point. What if these statistics are actually true though. What if producing meat and other animal products is really as unsustainable as they say and having a detrimental effect on our planet. The people on this earth, through the ways we are living are producing more carbon monoxide each year and the population is growing. So, the question is: are drastic changes really necessary in order to save our planet and how is producing animal products really changing our environment for the worse?
deforestation
Current agriculture causes deforestation because farmers cut down trees to create more room for cattle grazing and growing crops. Cattle eat a large amount of hay and with the current amount of meat consumed on this planet tons of space must be cleared each year in order to grow these crops for the animals to eat. Agriculture amounts to 80% of the deforestation that has occurred worldwide. Some argue that this deforestation has taken place to create space for living, however, this is not even close to the main cause. The western diet, consisting of large amounts of meat is a huge part of the reason our planet is growing increasingly less green.
2. Acid rain
Acid rain is the cause of air pollution, caused in large part by agricultural industries as animal waste, at the largest source of ammonium evaporates and destroys minerals that in turn disturb plant growth. The forests and lakes of North America, one of the places with the highest amount of acid rain, are in danger as the chemicals that are deposited them destroy their ability to breathe and ruin plant growth. Raising cattle, as one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases is polluting the atmosphere leading to degradation of natural resources.
3. Coral reef destruction
As the agriculture industry (releases) pollution into the water along the coast it has been shown that the pesticides that find their way into the ocean lead to coral reef destruction. As time continues, the chemicals slow coral reef growth and affect the cell structure of the coral reefs. The problem is that the intense amount of chemicals released into the ocean leads to the coral reefs being overwhelmed by algae that can have harsh effects on the coral reef, at times even entirely killing it.
4. Climate change
All of these things together, the deforestation, the killing of plants, the destructions of nature is slowly changing our planet. As it continues, the climate will become worse and the plants will become less able to grow only making the problem worse.
By the year 2050, it is expected that not only half of the Amazon will be deforested, but the global life expectancy will be much lower. It is also expected that disease levels like diabetes, cancer, and dementia will be much higher than ever. There are positive predictions as well, as it is expected that technology will be smarter and medicine will be much more advanced. However, what if it was possible to prevent or at least slow down some of the negative predictions. Currently, the year 2050 sounds really far away, but at just over thirty years from now, it’s really not that far. At this point it would be necessary to make some drastic changes in order to slow down the negative progress we’ve already made. But, take note, of how many people are sick now and just getting sicker. Take a moment to consider just how much air pollution there is and the negative impact it has on people who live in those especially polluted areas. Watch this video to learn more about the negative impact of raising cows on the environment.
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