Should we all be vegan?

Full Name: L Dau Khaung

Should we all be vegan?

The large majority of meats around the world are produced in intensive factory farms which are a destructive global system of mass-produced industrial meat and dairy.

Meat consumption is one of the leading proponents of deforestation in the world we live in. In countries such as Brazil, the meat industries are mercilessly burning down forests like the Amazon,home to so many species of animals, to clear space for cattle ranching. By clearing forests and destroying habitats, the meat industry is endangering and eventually leading thousands of species to extinction. The rapid loss of biodiversity, driven by industrial farming, could be as big of a threat to our existence as climate change.

In addition, billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere when forests are destroyed to clear ways for cattle ranching. Unprecedented rates of deforestation during the 21st century are accelerating the process of climate change. Greenpeace sources estimate that the climate impact of meat is roughly equivalent to all the driving and flying of every car, truck and plane in the world! The climate impact of meat consumption and production is insurmountable.

Meanwhile, if everyone on this planet ate a plant-based diet, we would need 75 per cent less farmland than we use today. An area that is equivalent to the size of the US, China, Australia and the EU combined. It takes less land to grow food directly for humans than to feed animals, which humans then eat.

If we look at the impacts of veganism solely on sustainability and the environment, it is clear that veganism must be the way forward. Human kinds must evolve into some form of veganism to survive. Eating a vegan diet could be the most effective way to reduce our environmental impact on the earth. Scientists and Researchers alike at the University of Oxford found that “cutting meat and dairy products could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.”

Not only would this result in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, but, however, it would also free up wild land lost to agriculture, one of the primary causes for mass wildlife extinction. A study, published in the journal Science, states “that meat and dairy production is responsible for 60 percent of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, while the products themselves provide just 18 percent of calories and 37 percent of protein levels around the world.”

With all these facts standing, I have come to realize the full impact of meat consumption on our planet. And it is becoming ever more clear that veganism is preferable and much more environmentally friendly. I think that the world and the people of the world must one day become vegan. Veganism is much more than an individual diet. Although people define it differently and have a different view on it, plant-based living exists in a global ethical and ecological framework, which is as much about our planet’s sustainability as it is about avoiding exploitation for human gain.

Therefore, I have tried my best to reduce eating meat. I used to practice Meatless Mondays every week. But I believe I have to do more and that we have to do more to live in a world that is in tandem and friendly with the environment.

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