How Veganism Can End Climate Change
The unknown benefits of veganism. It’s not just a trend
Originally Published at: https://discovergrey.com/learn/learn-culture/how-veganism-can-end-climate-change/
There has been a rise in veganism these past few years and it is steadily increasing. Nearly three million people are trying to go vegan in 2019 and the demand for vegan options has restaurants and well-known brands accommodating these requests. McDonald’s has released a vegan burger and there are more vegan meat substitutes than ever. The environment, animals, and humans will reap the benefits of veganism.
End World Hunger
925 million people all over the world are suffering from malnutrition. More than half of the corn and soybeans grown are fed to animals instead of humans. Grazing animals are meant to eat grass, but the farming industry feeds them up to 20 pounds of grains for the animals to produce 1lb of muscle mass. It would take the animals too long to produce fat if they simply lived off of grass. The 4 billion people that are suffering from hunger could be fed if these foods were provided to humans instead of livestock. There is enough food on the planet to feed all men, women, children, and animals.
Fights Disease in Humans
Eggs, meat, fish, and dairy are acidic to the human body. The pH level of animal products falls at 3.0. As a result, accumulation of mucus will take place in the body which will then lead to disease if a person ingests animal products. Diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, sinus infections, cancer, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, dementia, cataracts, and allergies are signs of an acidic body. Fruits, nuts, vegetables, and legumes will maintain an alkaline pH in the body where illness cannot form.
End Climate Change
Massive amounts of land, energy, food, and water are wasted on raising animals for food. Animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gas than all cars, planes, and buses combined. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the main greenhouse gases that result in climate change. Since billions of animals are crammed onto U.S factories each year, they produce enormous amounts of methane. Methane is more than 25 times as effective as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere.
Eliminating animal products could reduce our carbon footprint by 73 percent. Carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions.
Beans, lentils, and peas are the most sustainable protein source on the planet. They require very small amounts of water to grow and can thrive in all climates and there is no need for synthetic fertilizers.
Decrease in Deforestation
Tropical rainforests and entire ecosystems are being destroyed. 70 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been burned to raise animals instead of being used for people to grow crops. Animals and plant species lose their homes, it creates changes in weather patterns due to fewer trees filtering carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and it leads to soil erosion and coastal flooding. With a vegan lifestyle, deforestation would improve by 94%.
Saves the Lives of Animals
Of course, by transitioning to a vegan diet, innocent animals’ lives will be spared. The conditions they are raised in are horrifying. Cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys are crammed into cages or stalls where they are unable to move. They are fed growth hormones and are genetically manipulated to produce more milk or eggs than they would naturally. Animals don’t want to be killed or tortured and they feel emotions just as we do.
Do you believe veganism can help save our environment? Let us know down in the comments.
This article was originally published by GREY Journal.
