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Adrian Antonescu
Professor Malcom Campbell
UWRT H03 1103
2 November 2019

Veganismetarianism: is it Truly Better for the Environment than a Meat Centered Diet?

Recently, vegetarianism has been growing in popularity, supported by an article written

by Maria Chiorando. In the referenced article, Maria takes statistics from The Vegan Society,

where they claim that the population of Vegans “has showed a huge 360% increase in Great

Britain this last decade.” Similar observations have been noticed in other areas of the world, one

of the most staggering examples being America’s 600% increase in Veganism. (Article with

quotes and proof of the growing vegetarian groups.) One of the main reasons for the rise of

veganismgetarianism is due to the demonization of the meat industry by scientists and

media(Who?). Reports and statistics illuminate the industry in a terrible light. Whether it be the

issue of morality of breeding animals for death, the terrible living conditions, or even the effect

on the environment, the meat industry is not viewed in a positive light n impressive right now.

With all the negative developments in the meat industry like land and water waste and animal

cruelty(Provide examples), is becoming vegana vegetarian truly better for our environment when

compared to our eating meat?

Veganism: Formatted: Font: Bold

AFirst, I will begin with agriculture is one of the most important discoveries the human

race has doneand its effect on our world. With the founding of agriculture, humans could settle

down and form towns, which lead to a myriad of new discoveries. The foundation of all our
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technology comes from the one choice of settling down. This was only obtainable with

agriculture. Farming since then has been an important part in sustaining life on earth,

but it comes with its fair share of negative consequences. A quote from Serah Wanza’s article

on climate change illustrates these negative consequences.

“The most significant climate change associated

with agriculture is brought about by methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, all of which are

greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere from farming.” Methane gas is a

greenhouse gas, it pollutes our sky when it leaves the plants that are grown on farms.

All plants on earth release methane gas. Methane gas traps heat inside our atmosphere

. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are also greenhouse gases with the same effects.

Methane is the king of greenhouse gases since it is 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide.

The effects of these gases are an increase of heating of the affected area., thus

making greenhouse gases are a

large catalyst for global warming. Greenhouse gases contribute to what scientists call the

Greenhouse Effect. Information recorded on the Australian Government’s Department of

Environment and Energy proclaims that “The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt

the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt

reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.” With the

increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, our earth will absorb more and more heat,

slowly raising our average temperature. The harmful warming of earth has already led to coral

reefs being destroyed and animals being negatively affected. Rising sea levels are also things to

consider when we discuss climate change. We could see our world swallowed up by water if we

do not limit climate change. Since vegans only eat vegetables and fruits, they rely on farming
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more than people with a meat inclusive diet. This can lead to an increase in farming, which can

further contribute to global warming.

Another harmful consequence of agriculture is the mass use of pesticides on farm

crops. Pesticides are used on crops to protect them from being eaten and destroyed by bugs.

Pesticides are a required substance in farming to protect the food we will later consume. The side

effect from this method is that the pesticides can also harm the nearby environment and

ecosystem. Pesticides are toxic to all types of animals; this can cause the death of many animals

and ruin food chains in regions. Pesticides also pollute rivers and lakes and poison animals.

Farmers and other workers who work with pesticides can obtain “chronic diseases in

like Cancer, Diabetes, Parkinson, Alzheimer and ALS” (Wanza). Although

pesticides have many harmful aftereffects, they are very important for crop growth. The

pesticides prevent the crops from being eaten and destroyed by animals and bugs. We would

have a much harder time providing food for everyone if we did not use pesticides. The

unfortunate side effects of the product deeply hurt our environment, but our lives are more

important than a couple of polluted ecosystems.

Furthermore, another impact of agriculture is the deteriorating of topsoil. Farming

loosens the top layer of soil with plant roots taking nutrients and loosening the soil.

The soil becomes vulnerable and can be blown away by wind,

effectively erasing the layer of topsoil. This makes the land lose nutrients and

become unfarmable for years to come. This also contributes to higher rates of erosion, which

ruins plan life in regions. After the Dust Bowl, a couple farming method became common

practice to prevent soil erosion from occurring as fast. One of these methods is called contour
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farming. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has described contour farming

as, “Contour farming is farming with row patterns that run nearly level around the hill -- not up Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12 pt

and down the hill.” More information provided by the USDA conveys that, “Contour farming

reduces sentiment and runoff while also increasing water infiltration of the soil. This greatly

increases the water quality of the soil and can reduce erosion up to 50% percent.”

Another technique to reduce topsoil erosion is crop rotation. Crop rotation is the use of 3

fields and changing the crop grown on each field every year. This prevents the soil from being

destroyed, effectively stifling the problem of soil deterioration. “This technique has been

experimented and around since the mid-19th century” says Britannica. Formatted: Superscript

Another negative of the rise of veganism is the increase of transportation of

vegetarian products like fruits and vegetables. Local produce can not support a vegan

community. There are not nearly enough different types of vegetables and fruits grown locally

to meet the standards of vegans. People want a variety of foods, and there is nothing

wrong with that. Due to the desire for different tastes, more vegan products are put into

global transit. The transportation of vegan products overseas and

over land influences our atmosphere by adding to the pollution factories excrete. The pollution

accumulated by said transportation is harmful for our planet’s atmosphere. Instead of local

industries being able to provide for a population, the increased importation and exportation of

vegan friendly foods have brought about more air pollution. This added pollution is

very small though. It does not contribute a lot to the degrading of our atmosphere. Emissions

from meat are much more harmful than a few extra trucks and boats.

Meat: Formatted: Font: Bold

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For years humans have been omnivores. Meat was an integral part of our society and was

our first main source of food. Hunter gatherer tribes hunted animals and gathered berries and

fruits. Still to this day, humans consume meat at large levels. This does not come without

consequences though.

In the production of meat, fossil fuels are used. This accumulates to mass

pollution of the nearby atmosphere. Fossil fuels are not nearly as environmentally friendly as

their renewable energy counterparts like solar and wind energy. The fossil fuels can cause

damage to humans and animals, as well as contribute to the climate change of the earth. Fossil

fuels pollute our atmosphere, making air quality worse and harming humans as well as our

environment. Pollution stemming from fossil fuels has been known to cause cancer and asthma

in humans, says the Union of Concerned Scientists. They also say that rising sea levels are a

direct consequence of pollution.

All animals, regardless of consumption let out methane into the atmosphere. This brings

up the global temperature, just like farming does. To accurately represent the amount of fossil

fuels used in the animal industry, a quote from One Green Planet conveys, “More than a third of

all raw materials and fossil fuels consumed in the United States are used in animal production.”

That’s a staggering amount, and really accentuates the degree of waste the animal industry

contributes to the world. A quote from John Robbins’ Food Revolution indicates that even a Formatted: Font: Italic

single hamburger has a large effect: “Producing a single hamburger uses enough fuel to drive 20

miles.” Putting that into perspective, a report by David Shepardson and Nick Carey claims that

the average mpg for 2017 was “24.7 miles per gallon.” This indicates that it takes almost an
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average of more than 1 gallon of gas to make only 1 hamburger. The amount of fossil fuel usage

in meat production is ridiculous. The trade off for just a little processed meat is horrible.

Creating meat for consumption has countless damaging effects on our environment. One

of these is the large consumption of water by the meat industry. Nearly half the water of the

United States goes towards raising animals (John Robbins). Considering the size of the United

States, that’s a massive amount. A quote from Marcia Kreith’s Water Inputs in California Food

Production says, “It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat and only

25 gallons to produce 1 pound of wheat.” This contrast between the 2 industries accentuates the

large amount of waste the meat industry provides. Compared to the meat industry, the waste used

in agriculture looks like a pebble on the side of the road. Animals raised for consumption release

about 130 times more excrement than the entire human race

. Animal farms pollute our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined.

Run-offs of animal waste, pesticides, chemicals, fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics contribute

to dead zones all around coastal areas, as well as contribute to the degrading of Coral Reefs (The

US Environmental Protection Agency). These pollutants are released into the environment when

breeding animals for maximum efficiency. The side effects from animal farming on the

environment is devastating and much worse than any agricultural waste. Lastly, land

consumption for meat production is nothing to scoff at either. A whooping 30% of the earths

land is used in the meat industry (The World Bank). Although this is staggering, the agricultural

industry exceeds even this percentage, with a huge 37% land usage worldwide (The

World Bank). Production of food uses about 67% of all available land on earth. Feeding the

human race is the most taxing use of land on earth. It is a necessary waste used to provide

humanity with enough food to maintain its population and grow.

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The pollution caused by both methods of food production discussed in this article amount

to most of the pollution present in our world. Both the meat and agricultural industry greatly

pollute and harm our environment. The effects of pollution greatly damage our environment and

can also hurt humans in the form of diseases or chronic problems.

Although both industries are harmful, they are both essential for human life on earth. Without the

Although both industries are harmful, they are both essential for human life on earth. Without the

support from these 2 industries, humans would starve. It is a required evil so to speak.

The

meat industry takes up a lot of resources to maintain. The meat industry also centers around

breeding and killing animals. An argument against it by vegans is that killing animals for our

own consumption is immoral. Many meat eaters counter this argument by saying that in a natural

environment, animals will hunt and eat each other anyways. While both can believe in their

opinions, the facts gathered from the meat industry proves that it is incredibly wasteful.

The amount of waste accumulated from the industry, as well as the pollution sent into our

The amount of waste accumulated from the industry, as

well as the pollution sent into our atmosphere and the ground is

staggering. The agriculture industry harms rivers and animal life, but not to the

degree of the meat industry. The meat industry pollutes water ways and biomes with

pesticides, antibiotics, and countless other unnatural substances that ruin the natural and organic

land. These pollutants cause deaths and illnesses in many animals. Since these animals

are not in a controlled environment, the effect on the food chain is immense. Animals can be
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wiped out due to the mass pollution. Considering all of the above consequences, the meat

industry needs to be regulated or fixed in some way.

To compare the meat industries counterpart, we must look at its summarized problems as

well. Farming ruins topsoil and its nutrients. While this is unfortunate, there is a way to

more efficiently farm. The 3-part farming technique (Yes, that is its incredibly

original name) helps prevent decay by rotating the use of farmland. While this is helpful for

maintaining the soil, it is still harmed over time, albeit at a much less noticeable rate.

The agriculture industry uses vehicles to transport unique products to other areas,

causing minimal pollution, not nearly as much as the meat industry does though.

Farming also releases pesticides and other chemicals into the environment, but like before, it is

Farming also releases pesticides and other chemicals into the environment, but like before, it is

Farming also releases pesticides and other chemicals into the

environment, but like before, it is at a much lower rate. Looking at it thought waste statistics,

farming is worse for that as well. With much more water being used to product meat than for

farming, which is quite surprising. After analyzing the 2 industries, I have concluded that while

farming is harmful to our environment, the meat industry is much more damaging, to our

environment and to humans as well.

Conclusion:

Veganism, is it truly better for our environment? Well the answer is still not complete.

People who are vegan only eat fruits and vegetables. They do not consume anything that comes
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from any type of animal. Butter and milk are some examples. Some vegans go so far that they

will not buy animal clothing products. Vegan boots are a real thing. So, Vegans have completely

cut out anything meat related in their lives. Their goal to not consume meat has seemed to

permeate regular society though. According to reports from the World Preservation Foundation

(WPF), “Meat consumption has decreased about 9% since 2004.” Whether this is due to the

increase in veganism in America, or people being influenced to eat less meat, is yet to be seen.

Alone 1 vegan can’t really make the environment better, but a large amount of them can make a

difference. Being vegan is much healthier for the earth’s environment, but without a large group,

meat will continue to be produced at the same level it has been for years. This is not the case,

though, as information from the WPF claims that “Annual per capita red meat consumption in

the U.S fell 15% to 101 pounds in the past 10 years, according to the U.S Department of

Agriculture.” This means that enough people have stopped buying meat that the actual

companies will not be able to sell all their production. This reduces the amount of waste and

pollution the meat industry pushes out, making becoming vegan much more important and

efficient to our environment than it was before. The only real problem that comes from

veganism, is the lack of protein vegans receive. In younger people, this can be damaging to their

bodies and cause massive weight loss in some circumstances. It can also stunt the growth of

teens and children. These consequences can be offset with a delicately planned schedule.

Based on all the information I have accumulated in this essay, I believe that currently,

being a vegan is healthier for the environment than having a meat centric diet. The negatives of

the meat industry are too large and devastating to the environment.
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Work Cited Page

Chioranda, Maria. “Veganism skyrockets by 600% in America to 6% of population, claims

report.” Culture, PlantBasedNews, 26 Jun. 2017,

https://www.plantbasednews.org/culture/veganism-skyrockets-by-600-in-america-over-3-

years-to-6-of-population. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

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Horrigan, Leo. Robert, S. Lawrence, and Polly, Walker. “How sustainable agriculture can

address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture.” Academic

Journal, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 5 May. 2002,

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Accessed 22 Oct. 2019

Mitloenher, Frank. “Yes, eating meat affects the environment, but cows are not killing the

climate.”, The Conversation, The Conversation, 25 Oct. 2018,

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Mostafalou, Sara, and Mohammad Abdollahi. “Pesticides and Human Chronic Diseases:

Evidences, Mechanisms, and Perspectives.” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology,

Academic Press, 9 Feb. 2013,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041008X13000549. Accessed 4 Dec.

2019.

One, Green, Planet. “Facts on Animal Farming and the Environment.” Blog, One Green Planet

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Shepardson, David. “U.S. Vehicle Fuel Economy Rises to Record 24.7 Mpg: EPA.” Reuters,

Thomson Reuters, 11 Jan. 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-emissions/u-s-

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https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/nj/technical/cp/?cid=nrcs141p2_018675

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2019.