is causing the earth’s temperature to rise.
Glaciers are melting, sea levels are climbing
and we’re experiencing more frequent
periods of extreme weather. This impacts
us all, but it’s the poorer communities in
this world who are once again getting the
raw end of the deal. While richer countries
have the infrastructure to deal with some
of the effects of climate change, there are
poor countries who simply do not have the
resources to protect themselves. With rising
sea levels, there are some island nations
that could soon be wiped out. A report
from the World Bank states that climate
change will see an extra 100 million
people enter extreme poverty by 2030.
Rising temperatures can promote disease
and erratic weather patterns are not
conducive to a good harvest. Failing crops
lead to an increase in food prices, and
while that may leave some of us feeling the
pinch, it will see others literally starving to
death. The poorest countries emit the least
amount of carbon dioxide but it’s these
countries that will suffer the most.
Huffington Post reports that we actually
produce enough food to feed 10 billion
people (the world’s population is estimated
to be around 7 billion), but 21,000 people
die of hunger every day. Part of the problem
is that a huge amount of the crops being
grown are fed directly to livestock, which is
then sold to and eaten by people in wealthier
nations. It’s an inefficient use of energy
with every 100 calories of feed creating 22
calories worth of eggs, 12 calories worth of
chicken, and just 3 calories worth of beef
(National Geographic Magazine).
To truly be an environmentalist, you
really have to consider the facts around
animal agriculture and the impact that
society’s demand for meat and dairy is
having on our planet. Switching to a vegan
lifestyle can save 1.5 million litres of water
per year, 1,000m² of forest per year,
3,300kg of carbon dioxide per year and
save the lives of 365 animals. That’s what
one person can achieve in a year simply by
choosing not to consume animal products.
We no longer live in a world where
animals are kept on small scale farms or
where the oceans are fished by few. We nolonger live in a world where the majority of
people need meat and dairy to survive - far
from it - we drastically need to reduce or
eliminate our consumption of animal products
for our own health and for that of earth.
Farming is now a massive industrial
operation that has grown to unsustainable
levels. We know that things need to change
if we’re going to have a hope of tackling
climate change, but the impact of animal
agriculture is not being properly
acknowledged or addressed. The statistics
are in - animal agriculture is destroying our
planet and we need to do something about
it before it’s too late.
We have to take care of the earth – it’s
the only one we’ve got, and we need to
show respect for the life that it supports.
As individuals, we need to take responsibility
for our actions and ensure that our day
to day choices are doing as little harm as
possible. We can take shorter showers, we
can choose public transport, but it’s not
enough. If you care about the future of the
planet, then the biggest single change you
can make as one person is to go vegan.the big issue