Water
To grow a pound of wheat requires around 130 gallons of virtual water. For meat, depending on the type - multiply that by five to ten times. In brief
Water to support a vegetarian diet - 686 gallons
Water to support a USA meat-based diet - 1320 gallons
And thats PER DAY. Learn about your Water Footprint
Crop
Meat Production requires crop production for livestock. 70% of the crop grown in the US is for Livestock. This means:
- More water used
- More energy used
- More land use
- A bigger industry for GM (genetically modified) produce, which means more power (money) to Monsanto and other big evil food corporations, which spend more of our money to spread misinformation, and lobby lawmakers to make laws that go against the health of humans, animals and the planet.
- More GM produce means more animals and humans being afflicted by new-age ailments, requiring greater investments in disease control and treatment. We know that the anti-biotics fed to livestock cause internal bleeding and pus formation (and thats what you eat)
Land
A meat eater requires 200% to 400% times more farmland than a vegetarian. To make room for enough farmland, the meat industry constantly destroys vital ecosystems, thus taking away the habitats of myriad species and reducing biodiversity. The vast Amazon rainforest is rapidly being destroyed to make way for
ranching and growing animal feed and will be gone by the end of this century if the current rate of destruction continues. Do you want to let this happen? Source: Green Decade
Energy
800% more oil is used in the production of animal protein as is used in plant protein production due to the fuel required to manufacture fertilizers and pesticides for animal feed, to operate farming machinery, for transportation and for irrigation.
Greenhouse Gas Production Factory
- The bacteria in the rumen as well as the manure from livestock releases Methane, a 1000% more severe greenhouse gas than Carbon-Di-Oxide.
- Forests and Grasslands that would absorb high amounts of carbon dioxide are cleared to make way for farmland. To make matters worse, the enormous fires used to burn down these forests release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
Destruction of Ecosystems
- The manure spills out of open air storage pits and makes it way to water systems. There the algae feast on it and deplete the water of oxygen, causing harm to the aquatic life and disturbing fragile ecosystems
- Manure also releases ammonia into the air, which mixes with rain and kills forests and other vegetation
- Reduced forest cover also drives large wild animals to extinction, further destroying ecosystems and reducing biodiversity.
Human Water Supply and Food Chain
Nitrates leak from manure into community drinking water, causing serious human health problems.
Animals act as concentrators of pesticides, fertilizers, weedicides. Meat produces more human disease than agricultural produce does.
Quality of Life
- Vegetarianism is the fastest way to reduce Poverty per World Bank. Thats not hard to see because reduced demand for meat would allow for greater production of vegetarian food thereby tempering hunger.
- Poverty is the fuel that keeps the fire of Terrorism Alive. Elimination of Poverty would go a long way in reducing the motivation for conflicts and denying terrorists the following they enjoy in poor countries be it in West Asia, Africa or South America.
- You can grow your own food in a small patch of land. Try raising livestock on your P-Patch!
- Vegetarians are happier than meat-eaters according to Discovery.
Credits and Further Reading
Production and Consumption of Meat: Implications for the Global Environment and Human Health
Environmental Benefits of Vegetarianism
An Ecological Argument for Vegetarianism
Five Good Reasons for Being Vegetarian (Ethical, Economic, Ecologic, Health, Spiritual)
Can people have meat and a planet too?
