We need to produce meat
To feed a growing population
It pains me to hear a vegan diet called one of privilege by detractors when in reality that's exactly how a diet rich in meat and other animal products is best described. The less developed or wealthy a country is the less meat it's population consumes, because raising animals for food is an expensive and resource intensive business. Raising an animal to kill and eat means putting more calories in (via plant food) than you ultimately get out (from the meat) so using this method to gain the calories you need is senseless for those not blessed with the abundance of food choices we are.
The truth of the matter is that producing animal products is an incredibly costly business, with wealthy countries able to keep prices low via farm subsidies provided by the taxpayer and other government benefits. Without this help the true price would be much higher, and that's before considering the other hidden costs that come along for the ride.
In fact, producing meat is so resource intensive that using it to feed the entire world would require more resources than the planet can even provide. It would literally mean the end of the world via environmental destruction, pollution and land degradation (though in practice there is simply not enough land mass available to do it anyway, with up to forty-five percent of earth's available land already attributed to livestock production).
The truth of the matter is that producing animal products is an incredibly costly business, with wealthy countries able to keep prices low via farm subsidies provided by the taxpayer and other government benefits. Without this help the true price would be much higher, and that's before considering the other hidden costs that come along for the ride.
In fact, producing meat is so resource intensive that using it to feed the entire world would require more resources than the planet can even provide. It would literally mean the end of the world via environmental destruction, pollution and land degradation (though in practice there is simply not enough land mass available to do it anyway, with up to forty-five percent of earth's available land already attributed to livestock production).
|
As things stood for a long time, only the developed nations of the west were able to consume high quantities
of meat and other animal products. That's rapidly changing now though thanks to the growing economies of countries like India and China, who are quickly and enthusiastically shifting to the more animal-centered model of the western diet. Some numbers below (from the excellent documentary Cowspiracy) help highlight how, if meat production continues to rise to 'feed the world', we are all in a whole lot of trouble.
- Seventy billion farm animals are reared annually worldwide. More than six million animals are killed for food
every hour.
- Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat
destruction.
- Livestock covers forty five percent of the earth's total land.
- Even without fossil fuels we will exceed our carbon emission limit by the year 2030, just from raising animals.
- One third of the planet is desertified, with raising livestock the leading driver.
- The leading causes of rainforest destruction are raising livestock and growing feed crops, with up to 137
plant, animal and insect species being lost daily.
- As many as 2.7 trillion animals are pulled from our oceans each year. With three quarters of the world's
fisheries being exploited we could see fishless oceans by the year 2048 (for perspective, it would take
32,000 years to count to one trillion, if counting in seconds).
- A farm with 2500 dairy cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 400,000 people.
- Animal agriculture is responsible for up to a third of all fresh water consumption in the world today.
The sad fact regarding these issues is that there's a simple solution going largely ignored by a society deeply entrenched in the idea of eating animals and their secretions. We already grow more than enough food to feed every single human on the planet but instead we feed much of it to livestock.
A Cornell University study found that the grain fed to livestock in the United States alone is enough to feed 800 million people (an estimated 900 million are starving globally) and it's also worth noting that many developing countries sell their grain to the west as animal feed whilst many of their own populations starve because it's simply the more profitable option.
Some stats to consider on this topic:
- 82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals and the animals are
eaten by western countries.
- Fifteen times more protein can be produced on a area of land with plants than with animals.
- At least fifty percent of grain grown worldwide is fed to livestock.
- We currently grow enough food worldwide to feed ten billion people.
- An acre and a half can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food but only 375 pounds of meat.
- It takes three times more land to feed a vegetarian than to fed a vegan, and it takes eighteen times
more land to feed a meat eater.
When you consider the information above and the fact that we already grow enough food for everyone but feed much of it to livestock, it becomes pretty clear what our logical next steps should be. The solution is in front
of us all, right there on our dinner plates, and in the everyday choices we make.
of meat and other animal products. That's rapidly changing now though thanks to the growing economies of countries like India and China, who are quickly and enthusiastically shifting to the more animal-centered model of the western diet. Some numbers below (from the excellent documentary Cowspiracy) help highlight how, if meat production continues to rise to 'feed the world', we are all in a whole lot of trouble.
- Seventy billion farm animals are reared annually worldwide. More than six million animals are killed for food
every hour.
- Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat
destruction.
- Livestock covers forty five percent of the earth's total land.
- Even without fossil fuels we will exceed our carbon emission limit by the year 2030, just from raising animals.
- One third of the planet is desertified, with raising livestock the leading driver.
- The leading causes of rainforest destruction are raising livestock and growing feed crops, with up to 137
plant, animal and insect species being lost daily.
- As many as 2.7 trillion animals are pulled from our oceans each year. With three quarters of the world's
fisheries being exploited we could see fishless oceans by the year 2048 (for perspective, it would take
32,000 years to count to one trillion, if counting in seconds).
- A farm with 2500 dairy cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 400,000 people.
- Animal agriculture is responsible for up to a third of all fresh water consumption in the world today.
The sad fact regarding these issues is that there's a simple solution going largely ignored by a society deeply entrenched in the idea of eating animals and their secretions. We already grow more than enough food to feed every single human on the planet but instead we feed much of it to livestock.
A Cornell University study found that the grain fed to livestock in the United States alone is enough to feed 800 million people (an estimated 900 million are starving globally) and it's also worth noting that many developing countries sell their grain to the west as animal feed whilst many of their own populations starve because it's simply the more profitable option.
Some stats to consider on this topic:
- 82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals and the animals are
eaten by western countries.
- Fifteen times more protein can be produced on a area of land with plants than with animals.
- At least fifty percent of grain grown worldwide is fed to livestock.
- We currently grow enough food worldwide to feed ten billion people.
- An acre and a half can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food but only 375 pounds of meat.
- It takes three times more land to feed a vegetarian than to fed a vegan, and it takes eighteen times
more land to feed a meat eater.
When you consider the information above and the fact that we already grow enough food for everyone but feed much of it to livestock, it becomes pretty clear what our logical next steps should be. The solution is in front
of us all, right there on our dinner plates, and in the everyday choices we make.
|
For more on this topic including plenty of numbers and stats this short but informative article by Dr. Richard Oppenlander is well worth a read. You can also find sources for the stats used above over at Cowspiracy Facts.
The highly informative videos from Mic. the Vegan below are also well worth a look:
The highly informative videos from Mic. the Vegan below are also well worth a look:
A solution to world hunger
|
The real cost of meat
|
"The future depends on what we do in the present."
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi