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Lauren Jennett

Professor Richardson

ENG 1201 Online

24 March 2019

Oh, so You’re an Environmentalist?

I reduce, I reuse, and I recycle, but I’m not a vegetarian - am I still an environmentalist?

Most people would reassure me that I am indeed an environmentalist even if I eat meat, but it’s

likely that these people don’t know how damaging the meat industry is to the biosphere. I’ve

been a victim of this same ignorance for most of my life. The meat industry’s negative effects are

not broadcasted across all environmentalist websites nor are they plastered on every news cover

story. Why doesn’t the public know about the single action causing the most destruction to our

environment? The answer to this can be speculated and debated for years, but the answer to the

question of why more people should convert to a vegetarian diet cannot. The convincing

evidence to convert people to vegetarianism is clear and non-debatable. The evidence is just

hidden and requires a little bit of digging to surface the facts. Humans should abstain from

consuming meat because of the environmental impacts that the meat industry has, the health

benefits of a vegetarian diet, and the mistreatment of animals.

Globally, the current consumption and production of meat are at an all-time high. In

“Assessing the Meat Industry’s Impact on Earth’s Climate”, author Met McDermott shares that

“Over the past 50 years, while world population increased by 41 percent, global meat production

quadrupled” (54). The production of meat compared to the number of consumers statistically

shows the increasing consumption of meat. Animal agriculture is present in all countries, but the

United States leads the world in both poultry and beef production (McDermott 53). Also in the
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U.S., approximately “...12 percent of millennials [abstain] from meat” (McDermott 54). This

number is also estimated to be around 10 million Americans (Corliss 1). Clearly, the production

and consumption of meat are rapidly increasing with a small proportion of people choosing to

not consume it in the U.S..

One of the most convincing reasons to abstain from consuming meat is the environmental

impact the meat industry has. From the excessive amount of water used to produce meat to the

effects on land to the emission of greenhouse gases to the unimaginable amount of animal

excrement, the meat industry is responsible for countless acts of environmental degradation.

Regarding the amount of water required for animal agriculture, McDermott shares that “...up to

one-third of all the world’s fresh water is

devoted to animal agriculture” (55). In

context, this amount of water is

astonishing considering many parts of

the world don’t have access to fresh

water while animal agriculture claims

one-third of it. Again, relating this figure

to the U.S., “...raising livestock just in

Fig. 1. Excessive water use in meat industry

(McDermott)
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the US consumes 34 trillion gallons of water” (Andersen) which is equivalent to “...50-60

percent of available fresh water is used to grow feed for animals that will be slaughtered for their

meat” (McDermott 55). These are statistics that most people would never begin to think about,

but it’s imperative that they do. Water is also used to wash away animal excrement in the meat

industry. This water consequently becomes so polluted that it can’t be sent to water treatment

systems (McDermott 55). Instead, it’s frequently stored in ponds where runoff is inevitable. This

polluted water can make its way to human’s water supplies and contribute to toxic algae blooms

(McDermott 55). This consequence of animal agriculture is eye-opening considering most meat

consumers don’t think about all the resources that contribute to the making of their quarter-

pound hamburger. In fact, most consumers don’t know that it takes 660 gallons of water -

equivalent to two months worth of showers - to produce that exact burger (Andersen).

Another concerning environmental effect caused by the meat industry is the impact on

land and species. Specifically, animal agriculture is responsible for the deforestation of “...136

million acres of rainforest land to date” (Andersen). This has a couple of direct consequences:

carbon sink destruction and species extinction. Deforestation “...increases carbon emissions and

reduces the ability of the forest to store carbon dioxide” (McDermott 54). This contributes to

global warming and disrupts “...weather patterns essential to the production of our own food

crops” (McDermott 54). The rainforest is the single terrestrial biome with the most species

diversity. This is saddening to think about because since “The rainforest is being cut down at the

rate of an acre per second”, these precious species are losing their habitats (Andersen). The most

threatening consequence of this large-scale deforestation is the loss of species. Earth is currently

suffering its largest mass extinction in 65 million years with deforestation for animal agriculture

use as a leading cause (Andersen). In fact, “Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species
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extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction” (Andersen). Animal

agriculture, specifically the meat industry, is directly causing the extinction of species at an

alarming rate.

A convincing reason to consider adopting a vegetarian diet is that “...each vegetarian

saves an acre of trees per year” (Motavalli 29). In my opinion, I think it’d be pretty cool to be

part of saving the environment on a massive level like that. It’s also important to note that

“37,000 pounds of vegetables [can be produced] on one and a half acres of land, but only 375

pounds of meat…” can be produced on that same plot (Andersen). Clearly, a vegetarian diet is

less demanding on the land from which we grow food.

The amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the meat industry is unrivaled. A surprising

statistic is that “...animal agriculture causes 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions…[which

is] greater than all the emissions related to transporting humans around the planet” (McDermott

56). So, all the people who carpool to work to save the environment then eat a juicy burger on

their lunch break are contradicting their actions. Nitrous oxide is a gas with a global warming

potential 296 times greater than CO2 per pound. With this being said, consider the damage being

done by animal agriculture, which produces 65% of the world’s nitrous oxide (Andersen).

Animal agriculture is a top contributor to global warming. In fact, it is “...responsible for 51% of

human caused climate change…” (Andersen). It’s surprising to think that people are unwilling to

change one daily habit (being meat consumption) in an effort to slow climate change and

decrease the massive amounts of greenhouse gasses emitted. These facts are clear and prove that

the meat industry directly causes the release of substances destroying our environment.

Animal excrement during animal agriculture also has a huge negative impact on the

environment. This is particularly because of the amount of methane released through their
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excrement. According to Andersen, “Methane is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2…

[and] has a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2 on a 20 year time frame”. With this

being said, it’s easy to grasp the damage being done by 87,000 pounds of excrement per second

produced by livestock being raised for food (Motavalli 29). Methane is a dangerous greenhouse

gas that is being produced in large quantities solely for the purpose of humans getting to eat their

burgers. This sounds like a selfish motive to play such a risky game with the environment. To

make the statistics more personal, “...20 tons of livestock manure is produced annually for every

U.S. household” (Motavalli 29). Every ounce of this manure contributes to the release of the

harmful greenhouse gas, methane. Also in the U.S., “...seven million pounds of excrement is

produced every minute by land animals raised for human consumption” (McDermott 54). This is

a staggering statistic that truly shows the weight of human’s actions.

The second reason why people shouldn’t be wary of a vegetarian diet is because it

provides much health benefits that a diet including meat does not. Some of these benefits include

the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity (Hart 64) as well as weight loss (Corliss 2).

So, by simply excluding meat from one’s diet, the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity

decreases. A study including members from the Adventist Mortality Study and Adventist Health

Study shows”...that people who ate meat weekly were 29% more likely to develop type 2

diabetes…” (Hart 65). Another study of people following a low-fat vegan diet shows that “...43%

of the vegan-diet group and 26% of the American Diabetes Association-diet group were able to

reduce their diabetes medications” (Hart). Both of these studies provide substantial evidence to

prove that a vegetarian or vegan diet decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. With type

2 diabetes becoming such a large health issue in the U.S., more people should consider a diet that

excludes meat.
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A decreased risk for heart disease is another health benefit to a vegetarian diet. According

to Hart, a large study “...showed an inverse association between consumption of fruits and

vegetables…and the risk of CHD” (65). A simple adjustment in a diet to include more green

leafy vegetables and vitamin C-rich fruits can consequently lower the risk for coronary heart

disease. A vegetarian diet only looks more and more appealing! Another study “...showed that

death from ischemic heart disease was 24% lower in vegetarians, compared with

nonvegetarians” (Hart 65). Theses statistics relating to a decreased risk for heart disease in

vegetarians support the claim that a diet without meat has positive health benefits.

Vegetarians are at less of a risk for obesity and find weight loss to come naturally without

the consumption of meat. Studies show that “...vegetarians weigh less and have lower body-mass

index (BMI), compared with nonvegetarians” (Hart 65). So, not only do vegetarians weigh less

than nonvegetarians, but they have less fat mass on their body. Vegetarians are leaner and

healthier than people that consume meat. This could be because “...vegetarians have a healthier

total intake of fats and cholesterol…” (Corliss 2). A healthier intake of fats can correlate to a

lower BMI in vegetarians. Nonetheless, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will have better

effects on the body than a diet filled with meat.

The main concern of the critiques of vegetarian diets is the lack of protein consumption.

Obviously, vegetarians cannot consume the suggested amount of protein from meat, but they can

find this protein - and more - all throughout their diet. The nutrition advisor to the Vegetarian

Resource Group, Reed Mangels, says “...vegetarians can meet their protein needs ‘easily’ if they

‘eat a varied diet and consume enough calories to maintain their weight’” (Motavalli 31). This

might not be reassuring enough to the critiques, but the protein substitutes should be. For

example potatoes, whole wheat bread, rice, broccoli, spinach, almonds, peas, chickpeas, peanut
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butter, tofu, soymilk, lentils, and kale are all great sources of protein that are widely consumed in

a vegetarian diet (Motavalli 31). With all of these options as alternative sources of protein, the

consumption is truly unnecessary. In fact, “The soybean [meat substitute] contains all eight

essential amino acids and exceeds even meat in the amount of usable protein it can deliver to the

human body” (Motavalli 31). So, not only can the amount of protein in a meat substitute compete

with the amount in actual meat, but it surpasses it in usefulness.

Another abstract health benefit that a vegetarian diet has is the decreased risk of

mortality. In a very large study, it was found that “Those who consumed the highest levels of

both unprocessed and processed red meat had the highest risk of all-cause mortality, cancer

mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality” (Wein 2). This makes sense since heart disease,

diabetes, and obesity can all lead to death. The interesting part of this study is the impact that

particular amounts of servings of meat have on the risk of mortality. Researchers found that one

additional serving of unprocessed red meat per day raised the risk of total mortality by 13% and

an extra serving of processed red meat raised it by 20% (Wein 2). It’s astonishing that a little

extra amount of meat a day throughout the study can increase total mortality by such a great

percent. On the other hand, researchers found that by substituting one serving of red meat a day

with food like fish or nuts lowered the risk of mortality by 7-19% (Wein 2). Ultimately,

abstaining from meat increases the likelihood of a long, healthy life.

Humans also play a risky game while consuming meat because of all the antibiotics

pumped into animals. According to McDermott, “This overuse and misuse of antibiotics has

hastened the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections” (56). This is frightening considering how

many simple illnesses could kill humans if they became resistant to antibiotics. The United

Nations grasps the severity of this as they characterize antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a global
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crisis (McDermott 56). With the brilliant minds we have working in medicine, it would be a

waste of their expertise to continue consuming meat that only harvests antibiotic-resistant

bacteria.

A third reason why more people should consider being vegetarians is because of the

mistreatment of animals in the meat industry. In 2015, 9.2 billion land animals were killed in the

U.S. for meat consumption, this averages out to about 28 animals killed for every U.S. resident

(McDermott 53). Globally, this number increased to 70 billion animals killed in 2015. Most of

this meat was grown in factory farms where diseases spread quickly and animals are raised in

close confinement (Motavalli 28). Factory farms are notorious for their increasing use of

brutality. The animals raised in these farms “...endure great suffering in their housing, transport,

feeding and slaughter…” (Motavalli 30). Factory pigs don’t see the sun, don’t have hay to lay on,

and don’t have mud to roll in (Motavalli 31). This doesn’t sound like Wilbur’s life in Charlotte's

Web. In fact, this doesn’t sound like the life of any farm animal that non-farmers imagine.

Animals in factory farms endure a great amount of cruelty and injustice. Animal cruelty occurs

because “...the U.S. federal government affords no protection at all to animals raised for food”

(Anomaly 250). Without laws protecting animal rights, factory farms can torture animals in any

way they want. According to Motavalli, “Male chicks born on a factory farm - as many as 280

million per year - are simply thrown into garbage bags to die because they’re of no economic

value as meat or eggs” (31). Most consumers of chicken mead would shiver at the sound of this

statistic, but they probably have never heard it. The brutality in factory farms isn’t plastered on

the packages of meat sold in grocery stores. A saddening story regarding dying animals is how

they’re “...tossed into the ‘downer pile’, and many suffer agonies until, after one or two days,

they are finally killed” (Motavalli 31). This sounds like an excruciating way to die, especially for
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“...sentient creatures capable of feeling pain and frustration [which] have interests that deserve

protection” (Anomaly 249). Ultimately, all of these animals experience suffering their entire

lives because humans continue to eat meat. It is estimated that “The average meat eater is

responsible for the deaths of some 2,400 animals during his or her lifetime” (Motavalli 30). So,

because I consume meat, 2,400 animals’ deaths will be on my hands. I don’t know about anyone

else, but I’d rather not eat meat for the rest of my life than be responsible for 2,400 deaths.

After doing in-depth research regarding a vegetarian diet, I can’t say that I’ve always

been an environmentalist. The damage being done by the meat industry is far greater than any of

the positive things I’ve done to help the environment. The single most impactful action that

would provide the quickest environmental results would be to follow a vegetarian diet. The

impact that the meat industry has on the environment is unimaginable, yet so obvious, and a

vegetarian diet provides many health benefits - including the peace of mind of not being

responsible for the mistreatment of animals.

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Works Cited

Andersen, Kip and Keegan Kuhn, directors. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.

Netflix, 2014, www.cowspiracy.com.

Anomaly, Jonathan. “What’s Wrong With Factory Farming?” Public Health Ethics, vol.

8, no. 3, Nov. 2015, pp. 246–254. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/phe/phu001.

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=110856359&site=ehost-live

Corliss, Richard, et al. “Should We All Be Vegetarians? (Cover Story).” Time, vol. 160,

no. 3, 15 July 2002, p. 48. EBSCOhost, sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?

url=\http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=6915028&site=ehost-live.

Hart, Jane. “The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet.” Alternative & Complementary

Therapies, vol. 15, no. 2, Apr. 2009, pp. 64–68. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1089/act.2009.15202.

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=38021062&site=ehost-live

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

Today, vol. 39, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 52–57. EBSCOhost, sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?

url=http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=119815877&site=ehost-live.

Motavalli, Jim, and Sally Deneen. “THE CASE AGAINST MEAT. (Cover Story).” E:

The Environmental Magazine, vol. 13, no. 1, Jan. 2002, p. 26. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?
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url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5850380&site=ehost-live.

Wein, Harrison. “Risk in Red Meat?” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, 26 March 2012, www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-

matters/risk-red-meat?scrlybrkr.