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The consumption of meat effects on the planet
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When it comes to being thankful, there are many things that I think about. I’m thankful for friends, family, and even the animals. Everything nice in my life is worth being thankful for, but what I’m most grateful for is the chance to be vegan. I’m grateful that I can go to bed each day knowing that I didn’t cause the death of another living being. I’m also grateful for the change I’m able to make every single day. That being said, what I’m most ungrateful for is the meat and dairy industry. This business contributes to the abuse and murder of so many innocent animals, as well as contributes to the damages of the environment and our own health. Before I became vegan, I didn’t think about how my food got on my plate, or how bad that food was. …show more content…
All I thought about was how amazing a plate of ribs tasted, but now with what I know, not even the beloved bacon could turn me back because when something tastes good, it may not always be healthy for you. What people seem to believe is that meat is the only way you can get protein, but in fact plants have a much healthier and better way of getting you your protein. Through plants such as legumes, nuts, tofu, and leafy greens you can get all your protein needed. Plant source protein, unlike animal source, contains certain healthy nutrients that can help reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer, boost our immune system, prevent rheumatoid arthritis, and much more. Animal source protein, however, is said to have negative health effects, including possibilities all the way from acne to autism. This isn’t saying there aren’t unhealthy vegans or healthy meat eaters out there, but it does prove that, when comparing the two options, animal products aren’t the best option. With protein not being a problem, the only health related issue that people need to worry about is how well a person is able to get their daily needs of minerals and vitamins. Although this is a problem faced by vegans, it’s also a decision everyone needs to take into consideration when planning their meals. The environmental problems effected by animal production are severe in many ways, such as climate change.
Most people believe that the oil industry is the greatest leading cause to climate change, but it’s actually in fact the livestock industry’s production of greenhouse gases. “In late November 2006, the U.N Food and Agriculture Organization issued a report stating that the livestock business generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined,” (CollectiveEvolution RSS, 2015). Not only does the livestock business effect climate change, but it also contributes to our use of water. 1,799 gallons is used for the production of only one pound of beef, whereas it only takes 216 gallons of water for every pound of soy beans. The water that’s used for beef could, instead, be going into more soybeans in order to feed more starving people. Lastly, another environmental issue the meat and dairy industry contributes greatly to would be deforestation. It’s said that 80% of the remaining amazon is threatened by the cattle industry. Not only are they killing off billions of animals for us to eat, but they are also endangering thousands of species by tearing through the amazon and other forests. That being said, is the taste worth
it? What we believe is that it’s not problematic for us to be using other animals for our own taste, but it is. The environmental and health issues related to the production of meat and dairy make it all the more worse to eat meat and dairy, but the leading cause that made me want to go vegan, the reason I feel sick just thinking about eating meat, is what they do to the animals. All it took me was one video, one video of knowledge to realize what I was contributing to is wrong. Stephen King once said, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” I couldn’t agree with him more. People often forget where meat comes from. Today, packaged and frozen meat are seen as normal, but in reality all they are, are a corpse. Animals may be different from people, but they’re still living and they still have nervous systems. They feel pain and they strive to be alive. Truthfully, the only difference between animals and people is that it’s seen as inhumane to kill a human, but perfectly fine to kill an animal. Every second, thousands of animals are murdered for only one simple, coldhearted reason. It’s not because we need their dead bodies for nutrients, but because we enjoy the taste of them. We might as well be considered living tombs. Even if you still believe you can’t live without meat, is that actually true? It’s not as if it’s the taste of meat that you love because all that is, is the seasoning and the way you cook it. You can do the exact same thing to vegetables and it will taste the same, if not even better.
Millions of animals are consumed everyday; humans are creating a mass animal holocaust, but is this animal holocaust changing the climate? In the essay “ The Carnivores Dilemma,” written by Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer and livestock rancher, asserts that food production, most importantly beef production, is a global contributor to climate change. Nicolette Niman has reports by United Nations and the University of Chicago and the reports “condemn meat-eating,” and the reports also say that beef production is closely related to global warming. Niman highlights, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides are the leading greenhouses gases involved in increasing global warming. A vast majority of people across the world consumes meat and very little people are vegetarian, or the people that don’t eat meat, but are there connections between people and meat production industry when it comes to eating food and the effect it has on the climate? The greenhouse gases, methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides are not only to blame, but we should be looking at people and industrialized farming for the leading cause of greenhouse gases in agriculture and the arm-twisting dilemma we have been lured into, which is meat production itself.
We care so much about what the food is and how it is made that we overlook about where the food had come from. According to the reading selection, “Killing Them with Kindness?” by James McWilliams, an American history professor at Texas State University, states “animals raised in factory farms have qualities that make them worthy of our moral consideration…[and yet, we] continue to ignore the ethical considerations involved in eating meat” (311). This exhibits that when Americans are so engrossed in healthy eating, our morals about animal rights are neglected. Most of what we eat are animals, and animals like we do have emotions, interests, and possibly goals in life. We pay no heed of the animal’s interests and it should not be that way since our interests are no more important just because we are more superior, intelligent beings should not give us the right to perceive animals in such a manner. In addition to paying notice of the origin of where the animals come from, we need to be aware of what killing animals will do to the earth. In the TedTalk, “What’s Wrong with the Way We Eat,” Mark Bittman states “10 billion animals are killed each year for food and they represent 18% of the harmful greenhouse gasses” (Bittman). This reveals that our careless consumption would not only lead to the suffering of animal deaths but the suffering of our world and our imminent death. As we increase our progression with our unhealthy obsession over healthy eating, there will not be any positive effects for the body, the animals around us, or the world. If we were to be conscious about the source of our food and the consequence of eating then we will be able to eat healthily and
Gratitude is one of the positive emotions shown from research and clinical trials to enhance the general well being of human beings. Gratitude is defined by Emmons (2004) as “a sense of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving a gift, whether the gift be a tangible benefit from a specific other or a moment of peaceful bliss evoked by natural beauty. Emmons and McCullough also see gratitude as an attitude, a habit, a personality trait and a way of handling difficult situations response (Emmons & Stern, 2013).
This final reading of Peter Singer and Jim Mason’s “The Ethics of What We Eat” was probably the most eye-opening for me. Here, Singer and mason discuss ethical eating options as well as the food choices of a vegan family, the Farbs. They end up summarizing where we should try and get our food and what exactly we should eat. There were many topics that Mason and Singer wanted the readers to hold onto after that section, but I believed that they can all be generalized into one statement: humans must realize that animals are not inanimate objects with no feelings, and how we raise animals for food not only affects us on a personal level but everyone on a global level. They explain that the output is not worth the input, and that there are many
Why I Became a Vegan: A Cannon 1 Kimberly Cannon Professor Clark ENGL 1301 10 June 2024 Rhetorical Analysis personal narrative, Ray Monk’s article “Why I Became a Vegan” is not just a but a compelling rhetorical piece that aims to to reconsider their transformation from a meat-eater to a committed vegan is a carefully that appeals to the logic. His use of rhetorical his case, both relatable and to reflect on their own habits and the of their food choices. and the Monk begins his article by addressing the factors that influenced his decision to become a vegan. He recounts a realization, a common tactic in pathos, where he could not his love for animals with the act of consuming them. This serves to humanize his accessible and emotionally resonant.
While plant-based diet have been around for decades, veganism did not make headlines until the late 1990’s. ‘Vegetarian’ first appears in a title of an article on September 16th, 1852, five years after the Vegetarian Society was formed (Vegetarian Society). Although veganism has clearly risen in popularity in the 21st century, it can not be concluded that American’s view plant-based eating positively. Multiple articles have been published bashing the lifestyle. ‘Vegan’ first appeared in a title of an article on December 6th, 1998, fifty-four years after the first vegan society was formed (Vegan Society). The article was titled, “All Species Welcome At A Vegan Mixer.” The author wrote about veganism as a foreign idea and made jokes on vegan’s behalf. The second time veganism appeared in the New York Times was in December of the same year. The article exposed a vegan eco-terrorist group, giving all vegans a bad reputation. Two years later, on February 1st, 2000,
For many years, vegetarians and vegans have been publicly exposed to stereotypes and judgment. A person who decided to eat mostly plants, was considered a freak or a nonconformist. In restaurants and at private events, vegetarians commonly experienced difficulties to find food within the chosen dietary pattern and thus, unable to fully be part of cultural or social events, such as thanksgiving and barbecues. The omnivorous public perceived vegetarianism as a stigma and vegetarians are still subjects of comedy in many cases. Furthermore, vegetarians were often believed to jeopardize their health for a higher cause. Despite warnings that red and processed meats are carcinogenic, most Americans consider meat the core of their diets (Teicholz, N. 2014).
...farmers and ranchers today raise 13 percent more beef from 30 percent fewer cattle. The modern cattle rancher uses less water, produces less greenhouse gas, and is preventing overgrazing. Cattlemen today are more environmentally sustainable than they were 30 to 40 years. Although cattle farmers have a more efficient beef production today, producing 16 percent less carbon emissions, using 33 percent less land, and requiring 12 percent less water to maintain.
There are a myriad of myths and misconceptions that surround the words “vegetarian” and “vegan.” One perhaps thinks that becoming vegan is synonymous with becoming weak and holier-than-thou or only consuming foods such as Tofurkey. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for the vast majority of vegans or vegetarians. For financial and health concerns, many Americans are consuming less meat and poultry; approximately one third of Americans follow a diet centered upon vegetables and whole grains, with the occasional consumption of meat. Nonetheless, meat consumption per capita is still extortionate in America—the highest per capita with the exception of Luxembourg—largely due to its ingrained nature in our economy and culture.
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
Many people don’t believe think anything of what they eat or how it got there. But the harsh truth is the meat that you eat was once a living, breathing creature that had feeling and emotions. Maybe next time you order a steak or chicken nuggets you should think about the animals that went through extreme pain and conditions for you to eat. Not only is it inhumane to put animals through such pain, not eating meat and having a vegetarian lifestyle can have huge benefits to animals, the environment, and your health.
First of all, it was pretty hard to watch the movie Cowspiracy and how much control meat industry has over us. I was planning to watch this movie before because I was shocked by another Kip Andersen’s movie called “What the Health?”. That movie actually made me to rethink my eating habits. I definitely agree with Howard Lyman’s argument that you can’t eat meat products and think of yourself as an environmentalist. It is clear that factory farming is a great threat to an environment and is the greatest contributor to the greenhouse effect. There may be many more factors that define an environmentalist, but I think the greatest of them is to refuse to eat meat and not being scared to let others know about it. I believe that the people who eat meat, indirectly support
This is a much bigger deal than people think. In fact, according to an article by Peta, How Does Eating Meat Harm the Environment, it has such an effect on the environment that the Union of Concerned Scientist list meat eaters as the second biggest environmental hazard facing the earth. The number one affect being fossil fuels produced by cars. It was also found in a report published by the Worldwatch Institute that nearly 51 percent of all greenhouse gasses are produced from animal agriculture. This is a very staggering number when a lot of research is being done to make vehicles more environmentally friendly when we could make a huge impact just by changing the way we eat. It is even more astounding that it takes the same number of fossil fuels to produce one hamburger as it takes to dive one car 20 miles (Peta How Does Eating Meat Harm the Environment). The production of this meat is also a big cost. It takes more than 80 percent of the corn we grow and more than 95 percent of oat are feed to livestock. The world’s cattle alone are feed the equal amount that would be needed to feed 8.7 billion people. That’s more than the entire world population. If we cut back on our consumption of meat we could take corn and oats that we produce and feed the world. When producing meat many of our natural resources are used. We use water, fossil fuels and top soil, and we are
The topic of climate change is frequently discussed, yet so widely misunderstood. The food you endorse, being meat and dairy products, are the leading factors to our world’s rapid decline. The meat and dairy industries are the main culprits of climate change. This is due to the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions, and an unsettling increase in atmospheric carbon levels. The longevity of our planet and species is more important than consuming meat and or dairy products for momentary pleasure.
When these agricultural resources are given to the animals involved in meat production, these resources are lost. Besides the loss of land, the process of animal production is contributing to pollution and other greenhouse gases that are doing irreplaceable damage to the environment and contribute to untold negative health