Earth Day 2020 this year really gave me a chance to step back and think about the possibilities for our Earth’s future. Now maybe this pressing realization came to me because I just took an environmental science sustainability course in school, but I truly believe that humans need to really understand what is actually happening around us.
Climate crisis, global warming, air pollution… are only to name a few of our environmental concerns at the moment. I began to wonder what I can do as an individual to help do my part towards our Earth’s problem. The first thing that popped into my mind was in regard to vegetarianism and veganism. Could adopting a plant-based diet really be more sustainable than animal-based diets? Well, I did what any of us would do, and I googled it.
In doing my research I read different articles on both sides of the animal-based vs. plant-based diet spectrum and located multiple reputable pieces of literature to fully understand these assumptions that I have been having. I located a source, “Sustainability of Plant-Based Diets: Back to the Future,” that claims plant-based diets are more sustainable because fewer natural resources are used and therefore is less taxing on the environment (Sabate & Soret, 2014). I found out statistics like beef production has doubled since the 60s and that nonvegetarian diets used 2.5 times more energy, 30 times more fertilizer and 1.4 times more pesticides in the food production of their animal-based foods. I then sat back and questioned whether or not I should be adopting a vegan diet. Could this be my simple step towards helping our environment?
But I still had questions, just how bad is our current situation?
Livestock farming contributes to 18 percent of human produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. That is more than all of the emissions received from all forms of transportation. I think that in order to reach the goal of lowering greenhouse gas emission and helping our environment, we as humans need to lower our consumption of animal-based foods. The thought of becoming vegetarian seems so easy and healthy for some and also better for the future of our environment, but plant-based diets have been the norm for centuries. Truthfully, I think that it is impossible for the entire world to give up meat. However, to gain a step forward, I believe that lowering our meat consumption should be the focus. Our diets should be high in whole foods, vegetables, fruits and grains, and low in animal protein. I do not think it should be cut out; I just think it should be eaten in moderation.
I am not saying that we all need to do this, the vegan diet is not for all, but I do hope I have sparked some interest in you to figure out a simple way you can help the future of our Earth and environment. The future is quite literally in our hands.
References
Sabate, J., Soret, S. (2014). Sustainability of Plant-Based Diets: Back to the Future. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 100 (1), 476-482. https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.3945/ajcn.113.071522.
Vergunst, F., Savulescu, J. (2017, April 26). Five Ways the Meat on your Plate is Killing the Planet. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/five-ways-the-meat-on-your-plate-is-killing-the-planet-76128.