What do you think about giving up meat and dairy products? Is it possible? Today, almost 79 million people have chosen the path of veganism and are trying to do their bit to make the world more sustainable. But wait a second, how is the environment benefitted by opting veganism?
- Fights World Hunger
Around 70% of the grains grown is fed to livestock while 83% of farmland is used to raise these animals. If people switched to veganism, a lot of the food that could have been consumed by humans instead of animals can then be produced and saved. Moreover, deforestation led mainly by meat and fish industries has also led to the destruction of several fertile farms and crops.
- Water Conservation
Several people around the world still do not receive clean and potable water. One of the biggest reasons for this is the consumption and pollution by livestock. In addition to that, it takes around 100 to 200 times more amount of water to raise a pound of beef compared to a pound of plant food. Switching to veganism would help reduce water wastage and distribute it to all those countries and cities that face droughts.
- Reduce Energy Consumption
Compared to meat-based proteins, plant-based proteins can be grown with 8 times less amount of energy. From storage to transportation to refrigeration, choosing a vegan diet would help reduce the carbon emissions into the atmosphere by a very big margin. Going back to the example of beef, it generates around 20 times a greater number of emissions compared to plant related protein, just to make a small amount of edible meat. Is it worth it?
The world aims to drop down food related emissions by 70% by 2050, especially if everyone chooses to become vegan. So the next time you go to the supermarket to buy yourself any sort of meat or dairy product, stop and think whether you really want to be one of the reasons why global warming is increasing?