Can you save the world while eating meat? Nope.
Why you should put down that burger and order a salad instead
Have you ever ordered a burger at a restaurant and wondered how that burger was going to affect the future of our planet — ecosystems, food chains, the development of our youth? Probably not. We often take the meat that we consume for granted, not bothering to think about how much water, land and other resources are used to make one pound of beef. The average American eats about 222.2 pounds of meat yearly. Multiply that number by the 327.2 million people who are currently living in the U.S. and you get a number that is equal to almost 72 billion pounds of meat consumed annually. This is a fact that isn’t just crazy or incredible. It’s plain scary.
One pound of beef uses 14.6 gallons of water*, 13.5 pounds of feed, and 64.5 square feet of land. On top of that, every pound of beef creates 0.126 pounds of methane**. Keep in mind that this is only for one pound of beef. So you can imagine how much resources are used to produce 72 billion pounds of beef yearly. In addition, our population is growing at a rapid pace. It’s simply unethical to keep depleting our resources in this manner just to satisfy our craving for meat.
For this reason, I have decided to go vegetarian for four weeks and possibly more. As a student in eighth grade (almost in high school), I know first hand that trying to solve climate change and global warming may seem like a daunting task. Impossible even. However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. Take my solution for example. Going vegetarian is a simple, yet highly effective way to combat global warming.
“There’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent threat of a changing climate.” — Barack Obama
As seen above, going vegetarian helps reduce the greenhouse gases that you are responsible for by the equivalent of 2,331 car km on the conventional diet, and 2399 car km on the organic diet. Some of you readers may be asking, “Well, I’m only one person. How would this help?” Let me tell you, if you start doing this now then slowly but surely, other people will start to change their habits as well.
This being said, if we really want to work towards a healthier Earth, we need the help of politicians and big corporate companies that are turning a blind eye to this problem. Companies and politicians always want to have the favor of the public so that they can stay in their positions The more that we as the public advocate for a more sustainable environment, the more that these companies and politicians will hear our demand for a better Earth. If they realize that the majority of people want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they will be more likely to stop ignoring the problem and start helping us stop it.
So, you say that you can’t help. It’s more like you just don’t want to. I am here now telling you that it’s time to start working towards a solution. Put down that burger. Stop buying meat. Find a local organization that will advocate for the reduction of greenhouse gases. Tell your friends about this problem. Together, we can stop this crisis from bringing the end to life as we know it.
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