The Impact Of Meat On Our Environment

Global warming has been discussed in the news for a very long time. The global world temperature and emissions in the atmosphere are continuing to rise. 97% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that global warming and climate change is caused by humans. Some evidence for rapid climate change includes that the global temperature is rising, the ocean is getting warmer, ice sheets and glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and extreme events are increasing in frequency. The impact of climate change is massive. If we don’t change our lifestyle quickly and fight global warming, we will have to deal with stronger hurricanes, more droughts and heat waves and changes in precipitation patterns. Especially the midwest will experience extreme heat, heavy downpours and flooding which will affect many parts of our lives.

Most of us are familiar with the fact that burning fossil fuels causes a big part of emissions which leads to global warming. Another part of our life with great significance is our diet, especially a meat-focused one. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 15% of the global emissions are contributed by the livestock farming industry. The use of animals for meat causes twice the pollution of producing plant–based foods. Furthermore, industrial meat is the single biggest cause of deforestation globally. Rainforest gets burned down because the space is needed for cattle ranching or to grow industrial animal feed like soya. The meat industry also accounts for one quarter of the total use of freshwater worldwide. 

WIth more and more people understanding that meat is not so good for the environment, there are also more people becoming vegetarian or vegan. In a vegan diet, there are no animal products like meat, fish, eggs and dairy products included. According to a study, 10% of U.S. adults identify as vegan or vegetarian. There is steady growth as well. From 2004 to 2019 the number of vegans in the U.S. has increased by 30 times. Plant-based food options also become more and more popular. For example, Burger King’s vegan burger was one of the most successful product launches in Burger King’s history. You may think that the vegan/vegetarian movement is still pretty small, but it is not only about vegans. Another big plant based company called “Beyond Meat” states that 70% of their vegan beyond burger patties are purchased by meat eaters.  Furthermore, there are researchers  working on developing lab-grown meat. There is the opportunity to take a cell sample from an animal and let it grow into animal tissue or meat in a laboratory. The Food and Drug Administration recently just cleared lab-grown meat for human consumption. 

In my opinion, it is important to take climate change seriously and try to incorporate more sustainable habits into one’s own daily routine. Reducing meat consumption could be one part of that. I decided to not eat meat anymore in 2020. I also try to eat less of other animal products as well. I’m aware that meat plays a big role in the American diet and culture - especially in the Midwest. However, if we want to continue living on this planet I think that we have to alter our dietary habits at least a little bit. It is not about abolishing meat or going 100% meatless, but adjusting one's own lifestyle to a more sustainable world as much as possible. 

 

Questions

Do you eat meat?

Have you ever tried vegan meat alternatives?

Do you think that we have to change our eating habits in the future?

Do you think that meat will become a luxury in the future? 

 

Sources

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/

https://theconversation.com/1-in-10-americans-say-they-dont-eat-meat-a-growing-share-of-the-population-176948

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20study%20conducted,in%20the%20years%20since!)

https://unfccc.int/blog/we-need-to-talk-about-meat

https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/meat-greenhouses-gases-food-production-study

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/#:~:text=Do%20scientists%20agree%20on%20climate,global%20warming%20and%20climate%20change

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    • I think that many vegan/vegetarians don't give up meat because they don't like the taste but because of the (health and environmental) benefits a plant-based diet can have. So, with vegan meat substitutes people can still eat and enjoy something very close to it without having the negative impacts. 

  • I love meat we have some sort of it for every meal of the day, but lets get one thing out of the way, WE ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING. Humans do not produce nearly enough co2 for the worlds climate to change, its the earth running its natural course and we are scared so we are blaming it on ourselves!!! And yes I do belive meat could become a luxury but in the future people could consider meat-eaters poor losers, but I don't think that will ever happen, I personally don't think we will ever have to change our diets because I personally have never heard eating meat is a bad thing, I have not tried vegan alternatives, and I can promise I never will it sounds gross because I don't enjoy vegetables, the only reason I ever would consider it is because I love fruits, but generally no, I could never give up meat or milk or definetely cheese.

  • Yes I eat foods with meat in them every day and in most meals. No i have never tried the vegan alternatives and I plan not to. If you have to use many chemicals on plants to make something that tastes something like meat then I think that it isn't healthy. I think meat will stay a main course of a meal in our world.

    • Most of vegan meats don't use any chemicals but different spices for instance. You could argue that plain, raw meat also doesn't taste very good but the spices bring the taste.

  • My family loves meat and we always have something that is meat every night for supper. I have never tried a vegan meat alternative and i dont thijnk i ever will. It doesnt sound the best and i think its not the healthiest either. 

    • There are definitely some not so healthy vegan meat alternatives. But some of them are also made out of beans or veggies. In general, it is a highly processed product (just as some animals products are as well) and a healthy diet should mainly consist of unprocessed foods. 

  • My family is a very pro-meat family and we always have been. I have never tried a vegan meat alternative and never plan to. That sounds disgusting. I do not think that meat will become a luxury and I hope it doesn't. It is possible we might have to change our eating habits. 

  • I personally enjoy meat very much. Humans were made to be omnivoures, meaning we eat both meat and plants. Vegan life styles deprive people of their nutrition. To say that the meat market is a leading cause to the climate crisis is true. However, planes and boats that caring vegan foods are also a leading cause in the climate crisis. 

  • My family is a very pro meat family. My dad would probably get actually mad at me if I were to refuse a steak but I enjoy meat so its never crossed my mind. I have never tried any sort of vegan or vegan meat meal but one of my friends did and she get unhealthily skinny because especially here in Iowa its hard to find a place that serves things other than meat as a full meal. My aunt is  vegan and she complains a lot about the prices of  vegan food. I think theres too many cons for me to become vegan in the future.

  • Personally like eating meat, but I get why people are trying to stop people from eating meat. I haven't eaten or tried any vegan meat alternatives. I think that maybe in the future we might have to change our eating habits due to the lack of animals or something like that. I do think that meat might become a luxury in the future.

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