Vegetarianism can help protect the planet

Vegetarianism is defined as a diet that eliminates meat, poultry, seafood, and the flesh of any other animal that enables animal slaughter. Besides having multiple health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and preventing type two diabetes, going vegetarian is beneficial for the environment as well. It can reduce global warming and protect forests, as well as lessen groundwater contamination and water consumption. Even making small changes to eating habits, such as reducing meat intake, can help protect the planet in a multitude of ways.

Going vegetarian can reduce global warming and avoid excessive greenhouse gas production. While greenhouse gases are needed to warm the planet, a surplus of greenhouse gases causes over warming. This is also known as the enhanced greenhouse effect. As explained by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, “The problem we now face is that human activities – particularly burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), agriculture and land clearing – are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases. This is the enhanced greenhouse effect, which is contributing to warming of the Earth.” A study conducted in 2006 found that “raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.” In addition, livestock farming is the cause for at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gases produced due to the methane that animals release.  

In pairing with decreasing global warming, going vegetarian can help preserve forests. Forests can assist in decreasing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere, which is the number one greenhouse gas emitted by humans. In a study conducted by scientists at the Smithsonian Institution, seven football fields worth of land are bulldozed every minute to make more room for livestock. Another study found that “about a fifth of mangroves worldwide have been lost since 1980, mostly because of clearance to make way for the farms.” This includes forests, which ultimately increases the levels of global warming due to the excess amount of CO₂. 

In addition, converting to a meatless diet can lessen water contamination and water consumption. The phosphorus and methane, specifically in cow manure, can run off into bodies of water and contaminate drinking water. A study by Farm Sanctuary reported that animal agriculture produces more than 500 million tons of manure annually. A study by Save the Guardian found “Their [livestock] manure and urine is funnelled into massive waste lagoons sometimes holding as many as 40m gallons. These cesspools often break, leak or overflow, polluting underground water supplies and rivers with nitrogen, phosphorus and nitrates.” On the other hand, farming consumes 70% of the water available to humans. As the demand for meat increases, available drinking water for cities decreases.  
Changing to a meatless diet can be difficult, but it has been found that decreasing meat intake can help us as humans as  well. On average, Americans consume eight ounces of meat per day, which is significantly more than what the United States Department of Agriculture recommends. The viral trend of “Meatless Mondays,” which eliminates eating meat on Mondays, can decrease meat consumption by 15%. If everyone in New York City didn’t eat meat this Monday, that would save the equivalent CO₂ from charging 2.75 billion smartphones. Aside from the many health benefits, going vegetarian and decreasing meat intake can help preserve and protect the planet.