Can You Stop Climate Change by Going Vegan?

Yes, you can.

Going vegan, or living with a strictly plant-based diet, is one of the biggest ways to reduce the environmental impact caused by humans. Long-term effects include, but not limited to, lesser carbon footprint in our atmosphere, increased renewal period for raw resources, and a slowed-down rate of global warming which is the primary contributor to climate change. By going vegan for just a full single day, you can make a difference and deliver a bold statement against the animal agriculture industry and the greedy incorporators behind it. Because animal agriculture is no longer a welfare-supporting industry, people need to know the truth about the negative impact caused by this abusive sector of society.

                Below, we outlined the profile of the most destructive industry our planet is facing today:

CLIMATE CHANGE

• 51% - global greenhouse gas emissions due to livestock raising and its byproducts

  13% - global greenhouse gas emissions due to transportation (road, rail, air & marine combined)

• A plant-based diet cuts your carbon footprint by 50%

WATER USE

• 55% - water use of animal agriculture in the US

  5% - water use of residential/domestic sector in the US

• 1 hamburger = 600 gallons of water = water use of a single person for 2 months
• The meat and dairy industry use a third of the earth’s fresh water resource

WASTE

• Excrements from a farm of 2500 cows are equivalent to the waste produced in a city of 411,000 people
• Every minute, 7 million pounds of waste are produced by animals raised for food in the US

LAND USE

• Livestock covers 45% of the Earth’s total land area
• 1/3 of land is desertified due to livestock
• 1.5 acres of land = 37,000 pounds of plant-based food

  1.5 acres of land = 375 pounds of meat

FISHERIES

• 90 million tons of fish are pulled from the world’s oceans every year
• ¾ of the world’s fisheries are exploited
• For every 1 pound of fish caught, 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as by-kill

SPECIES EXTINCTION

• 110 animal and insect species are lost every day due to rainforest destruction
• Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, dead oceanic zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction

DEFORESTATION

• 1 to 2 acres of rainforest are cleared every second
• Animal agriculture is responsible for the destruction of more than 91% of the Amazon rainforest
• 136 million acres – rainforest cleared due to animal agriculture

  26 million acres – rainforest cleared due to palm oil production

Support veganism and help in reducing these figures for a more sustainable earth. Take the first step now by learning from a celebrity vegan chef on this episode of The Healthy Way. Listen below.