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Craig Rappaport
My best friend is the one that inspired me to research this topic. I have never cared about
what I ate, and what it did to the environment, until she forced me to. Her name is Stephanie, and
she is vegan. She used to call me ignorant because I would refuse to listen to the facts that she
showed me, and would call her wrong on the topics I knew nothing about, such as the meat
industry. As she kept spamming me with more and more information, I started to realize that she
was right, the meat industry is one of the main factors that is causing global warming, especially
from the United States. I was one of the many that did not care, until she made me promise that I
would do everything I can to help change the world, and help the future generations have a world
to live on. To keep my promise, and to help the not fully informed (such as myself), I am trying
to find out what would happen if every person went vegan, and how it would effect global
warming.
According to vrg.org, which stands for The Vegetarian Research Group, vegetarians do
not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal
products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics,
and soaps derived from animal products. Many people find this very extreme, and do not see a
point in having such an extreme diet. Veganism actually awesomely benefits the earth. The
greenhouse gas emissions from a person that eats meat are also around two times higher than that
of a vegan (Scarborough). People also are environmental activists and find it morally wrong to
harm animals, while others do it for health reasons. As shown in the study conducted by Janssen,
Busch, Rdiger, and Hamm most vegans questioned chose the lifestyle because of animal cruelty
or health concerns, with less than half mentioning climate change or environmental protection.
Yes, the meat industry is shown to treat animals terribly and it is wrong to harm animals against
their will when there are plant and vegan options that cause animals no harm (Bruers). Yes,
GOING VEGAN WILL SAVE THE WORLD 3
studies have shown that vegan diets are said to help with diseases such as diabetes (Barnard).
These are perfectly fine reasons to be vegan, but are trivial compared to the big problem
Many people do not realize the damage the meat industry also does to the environment.
Tim Benton, a professor at the University of Leeds, is quoted saying in Carrington, The biggest
intervention people could make towards reducing their footprints would not be to abandon cars,
but to eat significantly less red meat (Carrington). Food production is the cause of about one-
third of greenhouse gas emissions, and the majority of that comes from the meat industry
(Nuwer). Results also indicated that if the world went vegan carbon emissions would reduce by
about 70% (Springmann qtd. In Nuwer). The greenhouse gas emissions from a person that eats
meat are also around two times higher than that of a vegan (Scarborough). Right now, planet earth
is dying. The people living on the planet are releasing too much carbon dioxide, and killing the
planet. Right now people do not feel a change, but those people confuse climate and weather.
Climate is long-term, while weather is short-term. Also, even the slightest change in atmospheric
temperature can cause a worldwide crisis. Ecosystems rely on being constant, and if that constant
is changed they will not react well to the change. If people do not change their diets or the meat
There are two main ways that the meat industry contributes to global warming. One, the
processes taken during meat production release four different kinds of greenhouse gases: carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrogen (N), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The main sources of
CH4 are the enteric fermentation of ruminants and releases from stored manure, which also emits
N2O. The application of manure as well as N fertilizers to agricultural land increases emissions
of N2O. Furthermore, N2O as well as CO2 are released during production of chemical N
GOING VEGAN WILL SAVE THE WORLD 4
fertilizers. Some CO2 is also produced on farms from fossil fuels and energy usage and, as some
authors highlight, by the exhalation of animals, which is generally not taken into account
(Schwarzer). The other main cause of the meat industry contributing to global warming is
deforestation. Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to then use that land is used for
something that is not related to the forest, such as farming. Deforestation takes a lot of energy,
and machinery. That releases a great amount of CO2 and N2O, and the land that was grass is
converted into agricultural land, which makes the soil release carbon that it was stored inside of
it (Schwarzer). Deforestation also causes soil erosion, which makes the soil almost unusable after
the trees are taken out, and pollutes waterways. The minor ways in which the agriculture industry
releases greenhouse gases is through things like transportation and energy usage. It requires
technology use to keep up the farm, and this is most likely going to release greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere. The meat also needs to be transported after it is ready to be sold, and this is done
through trucks and other transportation methods that use fossil fuels. Animal meat is eaten
worldwide, so the amount of meat transported globally per year is extremely high.
In 2013, global meat production rose by about 100 million since 1995, with an average
growth rate of 2.3% per year (Revell). Meat consumption has been rising over the years. The
meat industry is at an all time high of production. This is because meat is now being mass-
produced, with technology and techniques that increase greenhouse gas emission making it
cheaper, easier, and more profitable than ever to be a meat farmer. His article also says that
greenhouse gas emissions have also been on the rise in these industries since 2000. These two
facts are correlated to each other. As more people want to eat meat, the supply will rise along
with the demand. The meat industry will continue to produce more meat as long as the demand
remains extremely high. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released information that shows the
GOING VEGAN WILL SAVE THE WORLD 5
average American eats 71 pounds of red meat and 54 pounds of poultry per year (Gilpin). The
estimates for how much some meat demand will rise are about 65% for pork, 170% for poultry
meat, and 80% for beef and sheep meat (Guinot). This rise will be caused by the population
growth that is estimated by 2050, which is about 3 billion people (Guinot). The only way this can
be lowered is for more people to go vegan to help drive down the profits of the meat industry,
which will then lower the amount of meat. Unless there is found to be another way to lower the
emissions from the meat industry, the only way to stop it is for people to decrease the demand for
There is not much that can be done to change the emissions of the meat industry. Most
fixes fall under two categories: stop eating meat or find more advancements in technology for
farming (Gilpin). A big issue that is causing farmers to not use certain tools and resources to help
lower greenhouse gas emissions is money (Gilpin). There is not that much money in farming,
and there is little incentive to put time and money into trying to help reduce greenhouse gases
(Gilpin). One advancement that has been made in the industry recently is a change in the cows
diet to lower the release of methane from the manure and bodys of cattle, by lowering the
amount of microbes in the animal (Gilpin). As Ermias Kebreab, director of the Agricultural
realize animal biology and microbes have evolved together for millions of years. You can only
do so much (Gilpin).
Global warming has been regarded by scientists as the biggest global health threat of the
21st century (Denchak). It not only effects humans, but effects animals, the air, the weather, and
everything around the world. According to nrdc.org, which is the official website for the National
Resources Defense Council, but for the world in which we live, climate experts project will be at
GOING VEGAN WILL SAVE THE WORLD 6
least eight degrees warmer by 2100 should global emissions continue on their current path, this
small rise will have grave consequences, ones that are already becoming apparent, for every
ecosystem and living thingincluding us. Weather events such as droughts, intense rain events,
and heat waves have increased in frequency over the last 50 years, and global warming
contributed to this (NASA). Also, the earth is about 1.5-4.5 degrees Celsius warmer than levels
in 1950, but that has already caused a damage that cannot be repaired (Physicstoday). Imagine
what will happen when the earth reaches eight degrees Fahrenheit, and that is just the minimum.
Right now, though, this change in temperature is causing a dramatic change in the polar ice caps.
Sea levels are greatly rising around the world, and much of that is because of global warming
melting the polar ice caps. The ice sheets in the Antarctic are melting by about 125 billion tons of
ice per year (NASA). The sea levels have risen at about 3 millimeters per year, for a total of 48
millimeters between 1993 and 2009 (NASA). That may not seem like a lot, but the rising sea
levels have eroded coasts, caused more frequent coastal flooding, and will even cause some
inhabited island nations to sink in the near future if nothing is done (NASA). The average
temperature would also be 80 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 58 when all the ice melts, which it
eventually will if nothing is changed (Nationalgeographic). The entire eastern seaboard, along
with Florida, would be underwater and will no longer exist when this happens
(Nationalgeographic). Besides death, despair, and worldwide famine caused by the melting ice
caps, ecosystems will also be high effected. Warmer weather raises the amount of water used by
the agriculture industry (NASA). The growing season is extended due to the weather, and this
causes farmers to need more water, or the plants will dry out, also increasing the chance of failed
crops and wildfire (NASA). Some animal species also rely on the ice to survive, or just simply
cannot adapt to the warmer weather, and will go extinct (NASA). If the temperature climbs
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another 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius, the International Panel on Climate Change estimates that
around 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at risk of going extinct (NASA). Now, I
will move on to the only thing people actually care about: themselves. I already mentioned the
flooding and death that will be caused by the polar ice caps, but even more death will be caused
by disease. As a result of the earth being warmer, some species will now be able to move into
places that were previously not available to them, such as mosquitos, which will cause diseases
such as malaria to be able to expand their reach around the world (NASA). The rising
temperature will cause summers to be hotter, which will lead to more heat strokes and deaths,
along with more frequent fires (NASA). Fresh water will become less and less available as the
ice caps melt, as a great deal of fresh water is received from the ice caps (NASA). The list goes
on, but in the end it comes down to two things: death and extinction.
Now is the time to help the future generations. The world needs global veganism now
more than ever. It is the only easy, non-government involved way to help ensure that our kids
and grandkids have a healthy earth to live on. The world going vegan and highly reducing the
amount of meat produced would be enough to save the world, and ensure everyone a healthy and
Barnard, Neal D., Barnard, ND, Katcher, HI, Jenkins, DJA and Cohen, J. Vegetarian and vegan
Carrington, D. (2014, July 21). Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/giving-up-beef-reduce-carbon-
footprint-more-than-cars
Denchak, M. (March 15, 2016). Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad? Retrieved
bad
Gilpin, L. May 20, 2016 Print Share Subscribe Donate Now. (2016, May 20). How the livestock
industry can help cut greenhouse gas emissions. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from
http://www.hcn.org/articles/how-the-livestock-industry-can-help-cut-greenhouse-gas-
emissions
Guinot, Caroline, Huang, Hsin and Legg, Wilfrid. What is the Meat and Livestock Industry
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Revell, B. J., & Revell, B. (09/01/2015). Journal of agricultural economics: One man's meat ...
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