Is Veganism the Best Thing You Can Do for the Planet?
A vegan diet uses 600 gallons of water less than a meat eater per day
Emissions caused by meat consumption could be cut down by 75 percent to 93 percent without the need for animal agriculture
The demand for beef fuels at least 40 percent of deforestation
Land use could decrease by 75 percent with worldwide vegan eating
Eating a plant based diet is becoming rapidly more popular, with a 600 percent increase in the United States from 2014 to 2018. There are countless misconceptions with being vegan, like that it is a more expensive diet, or that vegans don’t achieve enough protein or nutrients in their diet. These statements, and others, are categorically false. Not only is a vegan diet healthy and affordable, it is one of the most important things you can do for the planet.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock farming. These emissions are largely carbon dioxide and methane, which are two of the largest contributors to global warming. Within this statistic, cattle alone are responsible for 65 percent of emissions.
A vegan diet can slash these dangerous emissions by up to 75 percent. For methane emissions specifically, a vegan diet reduces emissions by a whopping 93 percent compared to high meat diets.
Deforestation for the sake of agriculture is responsible for at least three-quarters of all deforestation. Of these three-quarters, over 40 percent is due to beef production alone. This level of destruction is detrimental to our levels of biodiversity, not to mention how deforestation also contributes to the aforementioned greenhouse gas emissions.
Water Usage and Veganism
Another way in which a vegan diet makes a huge difference for our planet is water use and consumption. More than two billion people worldwide live without access to safe drinking water, and four billion experience severe water scarcity at least one month per year. These numbers are currently only expected to worsen as a rising sea-level increases groundwater salinization, thus decreasing access to fresh water.
Farming of both plants and animals accounts for up to 70 percent of all water usage, and 92 percent of fresh water usage. This being said, a vegan diet relies on drastically less water than that of the average meat eater. A standard diet in the U.S. requires 1000 gallons of water to produce each day. A vegan diet, however, is reliant on just 400 gallons.
“A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gasses, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.” ”
The meat industry also threatens access to fresh water through pollutants from fertilizer and animal waste that ends up runoff and groundwater. This pollution from animal feces can cause eutrophication, which is an excessive amount of algae in the water, leading to a loss of fish and other wildlife. Joseph Poore, a researcher at the University of Oxford states that “a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gasses, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.”
A More Efficient, Healthier Diet
Efficiency, or lack thereof, is key when considering how our diets impact the planet. Animal agriculture often has incredibly low rates of efficiency. Worst of all is beef production which has an efficiency rate of 1.9 percent. This means that 1.9 calories in animal feed were effectively converted to animal product, the remaining lost during conversion.
Credit: Beyond Meat
Eating a plant based diet, however, is far more efficient because you essentially cut out the middleman of eating an animal that requires a certain amount of land and food. It is estimated that if everyone on the planet shifted to a plant-based diet, we would reduce global land use for agriculture by a staggering 75 percent.
If the myriad of environmental benefits of being vegan is not enough to convince you, there are countless studies that show how a vegan diet is unequivocally healthier for human well-being. Eating vegan lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, has anti-inflammatory properties, and reduces the risk of countless other health issues like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, even cancer. There has also never been so many vegan options as there are today, with products like Beyond Meat that make it easier to transition to a plant based lifestyle.
Where Do You Start?
Every October, Species Unite holds a 30-Day Vegan Challenge to introduce you to the world of being vegan. Each day comes with new, easy recipes, as well as tons of other advice and ideas to make the transition not only attainable but fun. By the end of 30-days, you will have saved 30 animals' lives, 600 pounds of CO2, 900 square feet of forest, 1200 pounds of grain, and 33,000 gallons of water.
Being vegan does not have to be the sacrifice that people make it out to be, but rather a way to invest in personal health and wellness, while protecting our environment.
In order to protect the biodiversity of the planet, finite resources like fresh water, as well as the lives of animals themselves, the most critical thing you can do is adopt a vegan diet. You can learn more about a plethora of vegan issues and initiatives regarding animal cruelty by listening to the Species Unite podcast.
Written by Olivia Deming
Olivia is currently studying Political Science and Anthropology at Columbia University. She writes and edits for the Columbia Political Review, and is the President of the Women's Wrestling Club.
Want to write for Species Unite? We are looking for well-written stories focusing on content that informs, inspires, and engages our audience with topics surrounding animal rights.
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