Writing

Ren McCoy

ENGL 1302-81401

16 Nov. 2018

Essay 2 Final Draft

Veganism Can Save the Planet

The idea of going vegan is not usually sought after by the average person, but what if

going vegan had the potential to save and restore the planet? There is much debate on whether or

not our diets have anything to do with climate change, but over the years, recent studies have

shown that going vegan has the most powerful effect on the restoration of our planet (Clark 22).

As scientists continue to warn us globally of our harmful and undesirable treatment of the earth,

it is time for us to come together, and fix the mess that we have all created. A study performed

by Oxford university, Agroscope, Joseph Poore, and Thomas Nemeckd, found, that by

universally switching over to a plant-based diet, we have the ability to reduce the land used for

animal production by 76 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49 percent, and reduce the

amount of air pollution by 50 percent (Clark 22). The numbers achieved by making the switch in

your diet are not possible by simply using paper straws, recycling, riding your bicycle instead of

taking the car, etc. Unfortunately for some, it will take the sacrifice of giving up meat, dairy, and

poultry products in order to give our planet the break that it needs. By going vegan, we can make

the greatest impact on the environment by stopping deforestation, saving freshwater and

decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

For a lot of people, veganism and deforestation may not correlate, but actually, our

consumption of meat is responsible for the cutting down of many of our last remaining large

McCoy 2

forests, such as The Amazon (McDermott 54). Nearly 80 percent of all of the world’s

agricultural land is consumed by livestock, and as the population continues to grow, there is a

high need to free up more and more space to support the meat industry’s mass production of

animals (McDermott 54). The need for more land results in deforestation all around the world,

creating huge amounts of carbon emissions, as the trees in forests are known to store carbon

dioxide. Not only are we allowing huge amounts of carbon to enter the planet, we are

eliminating a great source of oxygen, that allows us to live and breathe as human beings.

Furthermore, it is disturbing the amount of space the meat industry devotes to livestock in order

to feed the billions of people living in this world. The question then becomes, what will we do

when we run out of space? According to the Population Division of the United Nations, the

world holds nearly 7 billion people, and by the year 2050, this number will grow to 9 billion

(Capper 235). Plant-based agricultural farming takes up 115 million acres less land than animal

agriculture, and produces 512 percent more food (“Farming Animals”). Growing food for a

plant-based diet not only occupies far less space than livestock, it actually serves more efficient

in the amount of food produced. By going vegan, we can save so much of our agricultural land

and drastically reduce the need for deforestation.

Saving the world’s freshwater is among the top benefits of ditching meat and sticking to a

plant-based diet. Think about the amount of land used by livestock, and then think about the

amount of water being used to keep this livestock alive, keep crops alive, clean equipment and

facilities, etc. There is no surprise that with every 2 pounds of beef, we are wasting about 3,900

gallons of water, only adding up more and more with other animals by the millions supported on

these farms (Carr). With water being a very poorly managed system on this planet, it is important

to start thinking of ways to save freshwater and successfully keep it as a renewable resource, so

McCoy 3

that it is always accessible to us. In addition, water pollution has escalated all around the world

in extreme amounts due to the impact the meat industry has on water waste flowing into other

rivers and streams. Farms use very little water to feed crops and animals in comparison to the

amounts of water they use on washing carcasses, removing the hair on hogs before

disemboweling, and cleaning and sanitizing the facilities equipment (Djogo 31). Water waste is

stored poorly, allowing the waste to trickle into many other waterways, carrying pesticides,

nucleic acids, amino sugars, and much more, and many of the components found in our

waterways are causing many viruses and diseases to spread, such as salmonella and E.coli,

resulting in fatalities and illnesses globally (Djogo 32). The need to stop the mass production of

meat is urgent, as it is only expected to get worse with population growth. Change your diet and

save the planet from polluted waters, and use freshwater in more efficient and valuable ways,

allowing it to remain one of the Earth’s well known renewable resources.

Lastly, by going vegan, you can decrease the amount of Greenhouse Gas Emissions being

released into the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane. The amount of air pollution

produced by animals is completely mind boggling. The United Nations has reported that,

although it is hard to test the exact amounts of carbon dioxide and methane being released by

each animal, they believe that livestock is accountable for at least 18 percent of GHG emissions

on the planet (McDermott 56). A more recent study done by the Worldwatch Institute in 2009,

found that, half of greenhouse gas emissions date back to the beginning of raising of animals for

food (McDermott 56). By going vegan and declining the meat industry’s business, you can

eliminate more GHG emissions than carpooling, using public transportation, or even not driving

a car at all, as livestock is responsible for more of the pollution that goes into the air than any

other component alone (Matthews). Although all animals can cause some sort of GHG emissions

McCoy 4

by the way that farmers raise them or the way that they slaughter them, beef is the absolute worst

among all of the meat, and it just so happens to be the most popular, especially in America.

Cows are raised and stored in large numbers producing methane and carbon dioxide even in

digestion, resulting in very large amounts of pollution when they give off any sort of gas, which

is something that is completely unavoidable. Without decreasing the amount of cows that are

only produced for our consumption, we have no ability to reduce high amounts of air pollution.

By going vegan, we have the control to knock out a lot of the greenhouse gas emissions that are

associated with global warming and climate change, making this planet a safer and more reliable

place to live.

Conversely, when the topic of going vegan comes up, it is rarely something glorified and

appreciated. There are many naysayers who believe that going vegan is pointless, unsubstantial,

and the best one of all, not worth it as they cannot single handedly make a difference in the

environment by going vegan themselves. There have been so many scientists who have spent a

lot of time studying and researching the affects that we as humans have on the planet,

specifically how our consumption of meat is involved, and it turns out that we can in fact make a

huge impact, even on our own. “Meatless Mondays” have become very popular throughout the

world, and have allowed people to feel like they are making somewhat of a difference in the

treatment of the planet. As popularity grows around the idea of giving up meat for only one day,

many have found this to be an easy and effective way to make their small contribution to

restoring the Earth. Studies show that by skipping meat for only one day a week, individually, it

is the equivalent of not driving your vehicle for 320 miles, including your whole family saves 5

weeks’ worth of driving and additionally, 3 minutes off of everyone’s daily showers (Worrall).

This goes to show that it doesn’t necessarily take the whole planet to participate at once for there

McCoy 5

to be change, everything takes time and everything starts with one person. You can participate in

meatless Mondays, only depriving yourself of meat for 24 hours, and make such a great step in

the right direction towards the resolution to global warming. There is no reason to feel like your

decisions don’t impact the way that the planet is affected, nor should that be an excuse to not

even try something that has been scientifically proven to work. We can all make a difference,

and we can all make this place better.

In conclusion, going vegan has the ability to stop deforestation, save freshwater, and

drastically decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into our air. We have

neglected the planet for too long, making its life expectancy much shorter than originally

thought. The good news is that we have the power to change it, and reverse the direction of the

current negative rate global warming is going in by simply changing a few things in our diet,

even if only for one day a week. Taking out meat, dairy and poultry dilutes the need for mass

production of livestock and in return, saves the planet from a lot of harsh treatment. We have

reached our max capacity for anymore livestock stored in small cages by the millions on farms

for our consumption, and because of that, we need to begin thinking of other effective ways to

prepare for the peak in population growth and the decline in Earths life expectancy.

McCoy 6

Works Cited

Capper, J.L. “Should We Reject Animal Source Foods to Save The Planet? A Review of The

Sustainability of Global Livestock Production.” South African Journal of Animal Science,

vol. 43, no. 3, Sept 2013, pp. 233-246. Academic Search Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

Carr, Dawn. “If You Went Vegan for January, Don’t Make the Mistake of Going Back Now.”

Independent UK, 29 Jan. 2018. Newspaper Source Plus, www.ebscohost.com.

Clark, Cristy. “Will Veganism Save the Planet?” Eurika Street, vol. 28, no. 11, 3 June 2018, pp.

21-23. Academic Search Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

Djogo, Maja. “Meat Industry Wastewater Management in Vojvodina Region (Serbia)- Current

Situation.” Acta Technica Corvininesis- Bulletin of Engineering, vol. 9, no. 3, July 2016,

pp. 31-36. Academic Search Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

“Farming Animals Vs. Farming Plants-A Comparison.” Faunalytics, 4 July 2017,

https://faunalytics.org/farming-animals-vs-farming-plants-comparison/

Matthews, Christopher. “Livestock a Major Threat to Environment.” FAO Newsroom, 29 Nov.

2006, http://www.fao.org/NEWSROOM/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html

McDermott, Mat. “Assessing the Meat Industry’s Impact on Earth’s Climate.” Hinduism Today,

Jan-March 2017, pp. 52-57. Academic Search Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

Worrall, Simon. “Eating a Burger or Driving a Car: Which Harms Planet More?” National

Geographic, 11 March 2015, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150311-

cow-agriculture-cattle-dairy-beef-health-food-ngbooktalk/.