I had always looked at climate change as an issue to advocate for, but too large of a project to tackle as just one person. The United Nations report on climate explained that sufficient limiting of man-made global warming will “require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” This type of daunting task will need every leader, government, and country to make serious changes from how they currently operate. That statement is overwhelming, and sounds impossible, especially for one person. My family already reuses plastic bags, recycles, uses plastic straws and has bought reusable cling wrap, but those things hardly seemed to matter when I consider the incomprehensible statistic that landfills receive 27 million tons of plastic each day. Then I discovered that while many people assume that the transportation industry would be the leading cause of gas emissions, the global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and ships combined. It is the eggs we eat for breakfast, milk we drink at lunch, and burgers we eat for dinner that have such a negative effect on the environment. The resources required to make a single hamburger is more than many think. A report from NPR showed that a quarter pounder hamburger needed 6.7 pounds of grains, 52.8 gallons of water for drinking water and irrigation, 74.5 square feet for grazing and growing feed crops, and 1,036 fossil fuel Btus for feed production and transport. In contrast, plant based proteins take far less water, land, and energy to produce. I decided that the most impactful contribution I can make to the dangerously warming climate is becoming vegetarian, and indirectly, consuming 600 gallons of water less than the average meat eating american. I have reduced my lasting carbon footprint by 73%, and am limiting the amount of deforestation and environmental impact that the meat industry has on the planet. Vegetarianism and Veganism is the most sustainable diet a person can have, and the results would be monumental if carried out around the world. This article is not a guilt trip into not eating meat. For the same reason why scientists don’t explicitly tell people to stop eating meat. The world will never be meat and dairy free, but by cutting down individual meat consumption, the climate crisis can be limited significantly.
After over two years not eating meat, I have found that being vegetarian has made me healthier, happier, and more satisfied with the steps that I am taking towards saving the beautiful planet that I love.