June 05, 2017 · Written by Foodtolive Team
Vegan Lifestyle Benefits for the Planet
Vegan lifestyle benefits are quite numerous, but most people focus only on the personal health and weight management aspects of it. However, reducing your intake and general use of animal products also does a host of good for the planet. Considering the rapid growth of the population and the level of world hunger, becoming a vegan is a truly eco-friendly decision.
How Vegan Lifestyle Benefits the Planet
A renowned UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow (2006) states that breeding animals for meat causes 18% of the total carbon dioxide emissions on the planet. In 2009, Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang proved that this number actually reaches over 51%.
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These numbers indicate that breeding livestock produces more carbon emissions than using fossil fuels in all types of vehicles in the world. Carbon dioxide is the main reason of the ‘greenhouse effect’, which makes the planet ‘heat up’.
This relationship between food and climate change is extremely dangerous and is the main reason why everyone should consider going vegan. The enormity of the problem means that only a change on a worldwide scale can produce a noticeable positive effect.
Researchers claim that the world population will exceed 9 billion by 2050. As the planet is already experiencing a hunger crisis, adding almost 3 billion of people is sure to have a devastating effect.
Today, livestock consumes over 700 million tons of food that can be used to feed people all over the planet. This amount will go up if the demand for animal products increases with the growth of the population.
One of the most important vegan lifestyle benefits is that eating plants is extremely efficient. Breeding animals for meat is completely opposite. A single broiler chicken requires over pounds of food to produce a pound of meat. Note that it’s the most ‘efficient’ animal as pigs need over 9 pounds for that. As vegan diet is healthy when planned right, growing crops for humans instead of livestock will feed billions.
You shouldn’t forget about the land used for those crops. All habitable parts of our planet are populated and every inch of available farmland is in use. More people means they need more space, which will reduce the amount of farmlands.
In Bangladesh, an average vegan family needs an acre of land to grow enough food (fruits, vegetables, legumes, and rice). The traditional American diet calls for about 20 acres of farmland per person.
Deforestation is one of the major environmental concerns and people are starting to realize all its dangers. Various environmental organizations are trying to plant forests artificially. Yet, food producers cut down millions of priceless trees to make room for more farms.
Make the Most of Vegan Lifestyle Benefits
If you really want to make a significant contribution to the health of our planet, you should go vegan in more than your diet. This way, you’ll reduce your personal investment in breeding animals used only for their meat, skin, fur, etc.
Every person choosing to lead a completely vegan lifestyle makes a difference and your example can inspire others.