Decrease Your Meat Consumption, Help Save the Planet

What if I were to tell you that 1,799 gallons of water go into making a single burger patty? Each time you eat a burger that's only the water that is required, but what about all of the other resources that are used? 

The meat we consume is killing the planet. But that doesn't mean we need to stop consuming it all together. For some, veganism works well, but that's not the only solution. You don’t necessarily need to go vegan to make a difference. 

According to the United Nations, we have fewer than 12 years to prevent a major climate change crisis. Ditching red meat is one way to reduce your impact on the planet. Beef production is particularly harmful to the planet because it requires 160 times more land and produces 11 times more greenhouse gases than staple plant-based foods such as potatoes, wheat, and rice. For every kilogram of beef produced, the equivalent of 36 kilograms of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. 

Beef production is also one of the causes of extensive deforestation. Most of us have probably seen all of the Amazon fires on the news in the last couple of years.  Many of these fires were started purposefully by cattle farmers, who were clearing land for beef production . 

The United Nations Environment Program said tackling meat consumption is one of the world’s most “urgent problems.” They said, “The greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture rivals that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane, and rocket ship combined. There is no pathway to achieve the Paris Climate objectives without a massive decrease in the scale of animal agriculture.”

A growing number of studies have brought attention to the impact livestock such as cows, pigs, and sheep, are having on climate change. The Amazon rainforest has been facing severe deforestation problems for several decades as we all know. But the rainforest has lost about a fifth of its forest in the past three years. While there are many different causes, one of the main causes is cattle ranching. 

An estimated 70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon basin can be attributed to cattle ranching, in which an area of trees is cleared to either house cattle or grow their food. This land is used and abused until it can basically never be used again, or at least for a very long time.. Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef, which is engulfed in the Amazon Rainforest. It has the largest commercial cattle herd of approximately 190 million. 

But the cows still need to eat and have somewhere to go, so more land is cut or burned down, and the cycle is endless. The Amazon is huge and fast, making up 1.4 billion acres, but we have lost 20 percent. We used to have 20 percent more land that provided, and cared for us, but due to humans and non-natural causes, we are losing it. This can be hard to imagine because of how vast the Amazon is, so if you put it in terms of the United States, that's like losing Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. Imagine all of that land being completely incapable of use. This is exactly what's going on in South America. 

This issue however, has a solution. We reduce the amount of meat that is in demand by not eating as much. This can be very overwhelming if you don’t even know where to start. How do you stop consuming something that you’ve been eating your entire life? 

Luckily, this issue doesn’t require you to stop eating meat entirely and switch to a vegan diet. It doesn’t even require a vegetarian diet. You may not realize how many of your meals don’t have meat in them. This is something that I have been doing for years and have gotten my family involved as well. Leaving meat out of meals may be the easiest way I’ve made a difference, ever. I find myself forgetting I'm actively trying to reduce my meat intake and oftentimes have meals without meat. This can be harder for all of the carnivores out there but not only is it doable, it’s easy, and you are actively making a difference for our planet. 

We all want to do something to help our planet, and reducing your meat consumption is such an easy way to make a difference. Also, don’t be too hard on yourself if this isn’t something that is realistic every week. Frankly, our world is in desperate need for some help, and this issue was caused by humans so it is up to us to fix it, and this is just one simple way of doing so.