planet on a plate
fossil fuels used in the manufacturing of “It has become apparent that the human
fertilizer may emit 41 million tonnes of CO2 appetite for animal flesh is a driving force
per year. behind virtually every major category of
environmental damage now threatening the
Livestock produce 65 per cent of all nitrous human future.”
oxide emissions due to human activities,
mainly from manure – both directly and As developing countries such as China
when used as manure. emulate the West’s diet, the situation is
accelerating away from us. According to
Concentrations of CO2 are higher than at researchers in the Profetas study, set up by
any time in the last 650,000 years, the Dutch universities of Twente,
methane has doubled since pre-industrial Waganingen and VUA:
days and average temperatures have
increased by 0.8ºC (2005). “This trend must be reversed on a global
scale” – by moving from meat protein to
In 2005, the University of Chicago examined vegetable protein alternatives.
the amount of energy used by different food
industries. The worst offender is red meat A joint study by Amsterdam University and
followed by fish (largely due to industrial Loma Linda University, California, found that,
methods of catching), dairy, then poultry. on every count, meat, dairy and fish were
Vegan diets are the least harmful. environmentally more damaging than
vegetable protein.
The Washington-based World Watch
Institute says: On average, 10g of vegetable protein was
6
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