I know you’ve probably seen more and more restaurants, even the burger joints, offering plant-based options to appeal to their veggie-eating customers.
Well, now it seems like this is more than a wave because a new report suggests that more people adopting a plant-based diet can combat the effects of climate change. A major report from the #UnitedNations on land use and climate change says the West’s high consumption of meat and dairy is fuelling global warming, @bbc reports.
But before you set down that burger and cancel cookout season, scientists aren’t necessarily calling on everyone to become vegan or vegetarian. What it really boils down to is that they believe more people could be fed using less land if people cut down on eating meat.
This report ain’t cap either. More than 100 scientists for the UN”s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepared the document. They maintain that if land is used more effectively, it can store more of the carbon emitted by humans.
“We’re not telling people to stop eating meat. In some places people have no other choice. But it’s obvious that in the West we’re eating far too much,” said Professor Pete Smith, an environmental scientist from Aberdeen University, UK.
The report calls for vigorous action to halt soil damage and desertification, both of which contribute to climate change.
Climate change is linked to what we eat because it poses a threat to the security of our food supply. Rising temperatures, increased rain and more extreme weather events all have an impact on crops and livestock.
But the irony is, food production also contributes to global warming. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. Agriculture – together with forestry – accounts for about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.
Livestock rearing contributes to global warming through the methane gas the animals produce and the deforestation to expand pastures.
Roommates, is this information enough to make you want to adopt a plant-based diet? Let us know.
