The United Nations (U.N.) recently released a report warning that climate change is likely to reach dangerous levels by 2030 unless new technology is developed to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Governments around the world have been urged to make “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” to help curb climate change and reduce the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods, and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.
U.N. scientists say that while the improvements are technically possible, they’ll require widespread changes in energy, industry, buildings, transportation, and cities.
But why wait for new technology to be invented, when we can all help combat climate change simply by going vegan today? Meat-eaters are responsible for 2.5 times as many dietary greenhouse-gas emissions per day as vegans. Fruits and vegetables, cereals and grains, and nuts and seeds all make up less than 3 percent of food-related emissions.
The nonprofit organizations Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and GRAIN recently analyzed the planet’s 35 largest meat and dairy companies and found that animal agriculture may soon surpass the oil industry as the world’s biggest contributor to climate change.
Combined, the top five meat and dairy corporations are already responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than ExxonMobil, Shell, or BP, and unless people start eating more vegan foods instead of animal-based ones, animal agriculture will likely be responsible for 80 percent of the allowable greenhouse-gas “budget” by 2050.
Beyond Meat, a vegan company that the U.N. named a 2018 “Champion of the Earth,” recently commissioned a sustainability report comparing the production of its popular Beyond Burger to a traditional beef burger. The former won, hands down.
The production of one Beyond Burger reportedly generates 90 percent fewer greenhouse-gas emissions, requires 46 percent less nonrenewable energy, and has 99 percent less impact on water scarcity and 93 percent less impact on land use than that of a quarter-pound of U.S. beef.
And of course, going vegan also spares countless animals. It’s estimated that each vegan saves nearly 200 animals every year. Everyone can help protect the environment—and save animals—just by going vegan.
