By: Aaditi Tamhankar ‘17
Features Editor

By eating less meat, we can reduce the impact of climate change, rainforest destruction and pollution, in addition to saving water and other resources. In fact, the single most important step a person can take to quickly reduce global warming is to adopt a vegetarian diet.
Currently, we focus on emissions by cars and factories that exacerbate the greenhouse effect, but the truth is that switching to a vegan diet saves 50% more carbon emissions than driving a Prius. In the United Nations 2006 report, they say that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.
Raising meat is polluting the environment. The livestock industry is responsible for 64% of ammonia which is a main component in acid rain, 65% of nitrous oxide which is 300% more Global Warming Potential than carbon dioxide, and 34% of methane emissions which is 23 times more warming than carbon dioxide. In addition, many antibiotics and chemicals are given to animals to make them grow faster and prevent disease. These chemicals end up in our waterways and affect the health of sea life and humans who drink the contaminated water.
The livestock industry is responsible for wide deforestation. It is responsible for 70% of the deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, and takes up 30% of earth’s total land mass. With our population exponentially increasing, we will need more land mass for people.
Producing meat takes up a lot of natural resources. To produce one kilo of beef it takes 13,000 to 100,000 liters of water. In comparison, to grow one kilo of wheat it takes 1,000 to 2,000 liters of water. Also, it takes 12 times more land, 13 times more fossil fuel, and 15 times more water to produce one pound of beef versus one pound of soy protein. Our resources on earth are limited. We have to make optimum use of the resources we have.
The livestock industry uses large amounts of grain to feed animals with relatively less in return. It takes 13 pounds of grain to produce only one pound of edible flesh. The rest goes to making the skin, bones, blood, and other parts that are not eaten by humans. This is a waste of natural resources that could have gone to feed people.
The benefits of being vegetarian to the environment are numerous. Eating less meat will conserve water, grain, and land. In addition, it will reduce the pollutants in the waterways and in the atmosphere. It’s time to think of waste as well as taste.