Can Eating Less Meat Help the Environment?

It may surprise meat lovers but, according to the United Nations, farm animals create up to one third more greenhouse gas emissions worldwide than cars and planes do. The grazing of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs contribute to the detriment of the environment not only by emitting huge amounts of methane but also because of the chemical fertilizers used to grow the grains they eat. The preservation and transportation methods used to get these meat products to the consumer are also harmful to the environment.

A single meat-providing animal consumes a huge amount of grain, and that grain comes at a cost. The many nitrogen fertilizers used to grow the grain create nitrous oxide, one of the greenhouse gases. In order to provide the fields to grow those grains, farmers log, plow and plant large tracts of land, sometimes where forests once were.

The forests help absorb the harmful gases that are detrimental to the environment, so the less trees growing worldwide, the more greenhouse gases affect the atmosphere. The creation of these farmlands can drain the once rich soil of nutrients that often results in dry, arid land.

The growth, preservation and transportation of meat products and the production of the grains to feed the animals require high amounts of gasoline, machinery oil, coal-fired electricity, nitrogen fertilizers and refrigeration. Not only is the world’s supply of fresh water and fossil fuels dwindling, but the amount of Chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration devices release chlorine into the atmosphere, which destroys large volumes of ozone, thereby allowing harmful radiation to the Earth.

Eating less meat is something that’s easy to do. Not only can eating less meat help preserve the environment for future generations, it may also benefit health. Studies emphasize that eating less meat reduces blood pressure, cholesterol levels and helps with weight loss.

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