“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”
Mankind has always adopted an anthropocentric view. We believe that we are the pinnacle of evolution, and so have the power to determine the fate of other living things. Our belief is that we hold dominion over the earth and thus its resources and inhabitants are ours to do with as we please. However, we now live in an age in which we are confronted daily by the environmental consequences of our actions. We are bombarded with news of global warming, deforestation and pollution. For the first time in history, we are being forced to take responsibility for the environmental decay that we have enabled. However, whilst we may examine the clothes we wear, the cars we drive and the products we buy; we often forget to examine what ends up on our plates. Thus in order to contribute to a positive environmental change, it is imperative to examine the meat industry, and the impact of meat consumption on the world around us.
A 2006 United Nations report described the meat industry as "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." (Steinfeld, 2006) Meat-eaters support an inhumane industry that pollutes our earth, contributes to global warming, depletes us of natural resources, aids the spread of disease, and destroys eco-systems. A vegetarian is a person that chooses not to eat meat or products of animal slaughter, such as gelatin and rennet. Some may choose to exclude other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. A vegan excludes all animal products from their diet and lifestyle, including materials such as leather and wool. A meat-reducer is someone who makes an effort to reduce the amount of meat they consume on a daily basis. (Elford, 2003) All of these diets may be adopted for various reasons. For the purpose of this essay, the benefits of a vegetarian diet will be examined.
One of the biggest environmental impacts of meat production is the depletion of natural resources. 38% of grain produced worldwide is fed to animals raised for slaughter. (Gussow, 1994) However, the nutritional value and weighting of this grain does not translate proportionately into the meat that it helps produce. If we look at the basic flow of energy, the sun provides plants with energy, which then provide animals with energy, which translate into meat products that provide humans with energy. Energy is lost through each step of the process, and thus the energy contained by the final meat product is far less than that contained by the original plant. For example, in the United States half a kilogram of pork containing 1000-2000 calories takes 14000 calories of energy to produce. Thus eating the plant in the first place is a far more efficient way of gaining a larger amount of energy than the proportional amount of meat can provide, as it takes up to 5 kilograms of grain to produce just half a kilogram of meat, and thus less food is being produced at a greater cost, depleting the environment of fossil fuels. (Gold, 2004) It is argued that vegetarianism could be the solution to world hunger as more food could be allocated for human consumption rather than for farm animals. Although distribution remains the main issue, the fact remains that a mass adoption of a plant-based diet would result in more food produced for distribution. Therefore it is obvious that a plant-based diet is more easily and efficiently supported, using less fossil fuel for greater output.
Diagram illustrating the basic flow of energy. (Bachmann, 1999)
The meat industry contributes to water depletion on a massive scale. Water is obviously provided for the animals themselves, used to irrigate the crops fed to animals, as well as to clean slaughterhouses and factory farms. It takes approximately 3800 litres of water to produce one kilogram of meat, whilst one kilogram of wheat requires 190 litres. (Robbins, 2001) The world is rife with drought and water shortages, and yet the world’s supply is predominantly used for animal agriculture. Water is used far more efficiently when irrigating plants for human consumption. 15200 litres of water are needed per day to support one meat-eater’s diet, whilst 4500 litres are needed for a vegetarian. (Moore Lappe, 1982) Thus it is evident that a plant-based diet would contribute to the world’s water supply being used more efficiently.
Raising animals for food requires large amounts of land, whilst the animals themselves contribute hugely to land degradation. Eco-systems are destroyed daily in order to make room for animals and the crops that they eat. According to scientists, the equivalent of seven football fields of land is bulldozed every minute to create more room for farmed animals. (Smithsonian Institution, 2002) The meat industry is a leading culprit behind deforestation, with up to 67 square metres of rainforest being sacrificed in order to produce half a kilogram of hamburger. (Moll, 1995) In terms of land degradation, livestock and other grazing animals are given land to feed on but the land is never given a chance to regenerate. Thus overgrazing leads to soil erosion, the extinction of many species of plants and animals, and desertification. Land is left useless, and cannot be used to grow crops. The United States is losing approximately 4 million acres of cropland each year due to soil erosion. It is estimated that 85% of this topsoil loss is directly related to raising livestock. Soybeans and corn cause the most degradation due to being planted in rows, which exposes the topsoil to erosion. (Knight, 2007) Obviously these crops are the foundation of a healthy vegetarian diet, and so many argue that meat production cannot be blamed. However, if humankind adopted a purely crop-based diet, ultimately fewer crops would be needed and thus more land would be preserved.
Deforestation in the Amazon, seen from satellite (NASA, 2006)
The production of meat is a major contributor to pollution. Animal faeces pollute our water, the air we breathe, as well as contributing to global warming. Animals raised for food produce 130 times the amount of excrement as the entire United States population, and their faeces is far more dangerous than human faeces. The waste may be kept in lagoons of excrement, or sprayed over crops as fertiliser. Both methods can result in the contamination of soil and water, and thus destroy eco-systems as well as many species of plants and animals. (Lang, 1998) Excrement leaking into water sources has also led to many ‘dead zones’ in our oceans, areas in which all living things have died. This is due to the nitrogen in animal faeces, that when released into water cause the algae population to grow exponentially. This leaves little oxygen for other life forms, and so they die out. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2006) The air which we breathe is also affected, as excrement emits gasses such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia. These are toxic and thus have an adverse affect on our health. (Consumers Union, 2000)
Raising animals for food and the meat-production process contribute to global warming through the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off the roads. (Steinfeld, 2006) The carbon footprint involved in producing meat is astronomical. This is unsurprising when considering the process. Massive amounts of crops are grown, which are then transported to those that produce animal feed, the feed is then produced through feed mills, then transported to farms, the farms are operated, the animals are transported to slaughterhouses, the slaughterhouses are operated, the meat is transported to processing plants, the meat-processing plants are operated, the meat is transported to where it will be sold, the meat is then kept refrigerated until eaten. Each stage involved in this process releases a huge amount of greenhouse gasses, as well as heavy pollution. The meat industry is the largest source of methane in the world, releasing over 100 million tons a year. Methane is a main contributor to global warming, as it is over 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere and thus causing the earth’s temperature to increase. (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2006) Nitrous oxide is even more harmful being 300 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. According to the United Nations, the meat industry accounts for a staggering 65 percent of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions. (Steinfeld, 2006) Meat production and factory farms are therefore a major contributor to global warming.
Animal restrained for stunning before slaughter (Peta, 2006)
Swine inspections in a slaughterhouse (USDA, 2006)
One cannot separate the issue of animals from the environmental debate, as animals and nature are intrinsically connected. As existential dualist theory states, humans, although distinguished from other species, cannot separate themselves wholly from animals nor the environment in which they inhabit. We can therefore determine that our treatment of animals affects our environment, and ourselves.(Berger, 2001)
The relationship between humans and animals is cause for much debate. In Western culture, we are taught from a young age to employ a sense of selective totemism, i.e to love our pets and then eat steak for supper. (Berger, 2001) The majority of westerners are appalled by cultures that eat animals which we consider pets, such as cats and dogs. A hypocritical society has been created in which we adopt both anthropodenial views as well as those of anthropomorphism. Anthropodenial beliefs separate man entirely from animal, and refuse to admit to any similarities between them in terms of consciousness and intellectual capacity. Anthropomorphism, on the other hand, projects human traits and purposes onto animals. This is evident through popular fairytales and fables, and the way in which many pet-owners interact with their pets. (Foer, 2009) If we are to employ the view of custodianship, then it is our responsibilty as humans to protect our earth, and the species that operate within our control. It is clearly evident that we have not fulfilled this role, and instead have subjected both animals and the planet to extreme cruelty.
One cannot separate the issue of animals from the environmental debate, as animals and nature are intrinsically connected. As existential dualist theory states, humans, although distinguished from other species, cannot separate themselves wholly from animals nor the environment in which they inhabit. We can therefore determine that our treatment of animals affects our environment, and ourselves.
Due to the huge demand for meat, industries have had to compete in order to provide a large output at an inexpensive price. This has led to the implementation of the factory farm, farms which house huge numbers of animals with little or no thought to their wellbeing. Animals are treated purely as economic resource, and so kept in crowded cages or pens in which they are unable to move, because overcrowding reduces costs. (Taylor, 2004) As industry journal National Hog Farmer (1993) explains, "Crowding Pigs Pays", and egg-industry expert Bernard Rollins (2003)writes "chickens are cheap; cages are expensive." Animals are not allowed to exercise, as all their energy must go towards producing flesh which will then be sold for consumption. The majority of chickens are fed hormones to make them grow quickly, and those that do not die from heart attacks may become crippled and die under their own weight. Cows have their calves taken from them to be killed for veal. Cattle are castrated without any pain relief. Chickens and turkeys are debeaked with a hot blade. Pigs are kept in stalls so small they cannot turn around or lie down comfortably. Ducks and geese are forcefed through feeding tubes in order to produce an engorged liver to be used for pâté. Farm animals will rarely see sunlight, nor be allowed outdoors. (Pollan, 2002) Animals are then transported to the slaughter house. According to the law, mammals killed for non-kosher and non-halaal meat must be stunned before slaughter. This practice is not foolproof, and animals are often left conscious but paralysed while they slowly bleed to death. Animals are dunked in hot water to soften their hides or defeather them, and many are scalded and drowned to death. (Eisnitz, 1997) These actions are not special cases, but what animals encounter on a daily basis. These are simply a few of the atrocities committed routinely and legally within the meat industry.
Images documenting the abuse of animals on factory farms (PETA, 2006)
There is a heated debate over whether animals deserve rights, and whether they are evolved enough to deserve our attention and care. However, one cannot deny that animals are capable of feeling pain just as humans are. They are also capable of feeling happiness, fear, loneliness, frustration and love for their kin. Each one values their life just as we do. We are connected to animals on a primal level, but have adopted a selective totemism in which we choose only to identify with animals we consider companions. (Joy, 2010) One cannot argue that animals used for meat in western culture feel less than their domestic counterparts, and so if one believes that some species of animals should not be killed, then it can only follow that no animals should be killed. Humans will never be able to achieve a state of harmony with the environment without addressing the issue of animal cruelty, as the two issues cannot be separated.
Examples of how western culture distinguishes between certain kinds of animals
It is argued that humans are made to be omnivores, and thus a meat-free diet goes against our natural instincts and is harmful to one’s health. The biological argument behind our status as omnivores is sound. Our bodies naturally produce substances which aid us in digesting (cooked) meat. We possess incisors and have more in common anatomically with carnivores than herbivores. However one has to look at history in order to place this belief in context. Beliefs that are now commonplace, such as women being equal to men, were once deemed ‘unnatural’. Minority groups have always been discriminated against, and will continue to be until they are questioned. We have to ask, just because our bodies can eat meat, does that mean we should? Milan Kundera (1984) states, "Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test, consists of its attitude toward those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect, human kind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.” Evidently, humans can thrive on a plant-based diet. The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada (2003) have stated that, “...appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.” Vegetarians, on average, live six to ten years longer than meat-eaters and have a much lower risk of obesity, certain types of cancers, heart disease and diabetes. (Mangels, 2003) Meat is not essential to our health, and one can easily be healthier on a plant-based diet than on one which contains meat. Therefore, since we are not dependent on meat for survival, one has to examine why we continue to support the inhumane industry that produces it.
Adverts and protests in support of vegetarianism (PETA, 2006)
As a vegetarian of only two weeks, I cannot comment as an expert on the subject. But my strong reaction to The Cove, a documentary showing the annual dolphin killings in Taiji, Japan, revealed my selective totemism. I couldn’t stop talking about the atrocities I’d seen, and yet I described them whilst eating a hamburger. Lisa Cobley, a good friend of mine and vegetarian of two years, recommended Meet Your Meat, a documentary featuring footage of what occurs in factory farms, as inspiration to finally cut meat out of my diet. After watching this powerful film, I could not stomach the idea of eating meat and thus supporting this industry. I am already feeling healthier after this short amount of time, due to the large amount of vegetables consumed and less hormone-filled flesh. The switch to vegetarianism is not difficult, as there are a wide variety of meat-substitutes on the market. The slight adjustment to our taste buds and mindsets is a minor concern when compared to the vast amount of benefits discussed.
Many environmental issues appear to be out of our control. It often appears that it is only big corporations that can make the changes that will benefit the environment. However, simply by changing our diets, we can choose to longer contribute to an industry that is harming animals, the environment and our health. Making the decision to give up meat is quite simply one of the most important contributions you can make to the world around you. In the words of Matt Ball (2009), “The choice is fundamental. The choice is vital. And the choice is ours.”
