Today my roommate and I watched a documentary called Cowspiracy (it's on Netflix, watch it-- the title is kind of silly, but it's amazing). It didn't take us very long to come to decision that we have to become vegetarians. We're both very environmentally-conscious people, and I'm an environmental studies major so this was coming one way or another.
(It's only been about six hours but I just thought about hot dogs and cried a little.)
As you can tell, this isn't a decision I've made for my own health or personal taste, or even animal-welfare reasons. This decision is 100% based on environmental reasons.
The documentary starts with a 2009 UN report that found that animal agriculture -- that is, meat and dairy production -- is the number one contributor to greenhouse gases, particularly methane. And methane is actually way better at trapping heat than CO2. This revelation is insane considering all the focus we put on renewable energy, when we should really be focusing on agriculture.
This documentary is horrifying, and damning. I challenge anyone who cares about the earth to watch it and not become a vegetarian if not a vegan afterwards. (I plan to transition to vegan as soon as I am able, and will already cut back on dairy and eggs as much as possible.)
I thought I was fairly educated about environmental issues, but now I feel that everything I know is a lie. The truth is: there is no sustainable way for every single person on earth to eat meat. It doesn't even matter how it is raised and how much we eat: it is simply not sustainable.
A particularly shocking fact is that from an environmental standpoint, grass-fed beef is actually worse than grain-fed factory-farmed. It takes up more land, and the animal is alive much longer-- only more time to produce waste and methane and consume unfathomable amounts of water.
I have to agree with one sentiment in the film: You can't be an environmentalist if you eat meat. It just doesn't compute. I have heard this said before, but I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. After seeing this film, I think it's incredibly true.
Please watch this documentary; it will impact you for the better. If we stopped eating meat we could cut greenhouse gas emissions in half almost instantly. There really is no need to wait for renewable energy technology-- the solution is here.
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