In most developed countries today, you can find supermarket shelves flooded with plant-based milk and mock meats.
Initially deemed a radical movement, veganism has slowly made its way into the mainstream, with our favorite celebrities swearing by the lifestyle. The general population is gradually becoming aware of the benefits of a plant-based diet, and the conversion rates are astounding.
In the UK alone, nearly 21% of the population is reported to have turned vegetarian by 2019. And while the chances of the entire world going vegetarian are slim, the positive influence of such a change would be astounding.
Oxford Martin School reports that if everyone on Earth went vegetarian, we would save over 8 million lives, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2/3rds of the current rate, and end world hunger.
Of course, we would also save billions of animals from the cruel treatment and inhumane slaughter they are subjected to regularly.
This article will look more closely at how the Earth and human beings can benefit from a vegetarian world.
How Vegetarianism Can Save the Earth
The most profound benefit of the entire Earth going vegetarian would be the positive impact on the environment.
1. Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
It’s reported that the rearing of livestock and their byproducts account for nearly 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide, or 51% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
By going vegetarian, these animal agriculture farms can be shut down, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the drastic impact on the environment.
In fact, the yearly quantity of greenhouse gas produced by livestock rivals the emissions of every car, train, plane, and ship on the planet!
Vast swathes of forest land are cleared to set up animal farms, uprooting thousands of trees in the process. Trees help by absorbing carbon dioxide, and fewer trees translate to an increased rate of global warming.
Aside from livestock, fishing is another industry that severely damages the Earth’s ecosystem. Ocean trawlers cause oil spills and drag their nets through the bottom of the seabed, destroying the phytoplankton, which is responsible for producing 85% of the oxygen we breathe.
Cutting down on meat and animal products and switching to an all-veggie diet is perhaps the most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint directly.
2. End World Hunger
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a meat eater’s diet requires significantly more land, water, and energy than a vegetarian diet.
When an animal farm is set up, agricultural land is needed to grow crops to feed the animals on these farms. Most of the farming land on Earth is used to grow crops to feed animals. Small wonder then that hunger and starvation are still rampant on this planet.
If everyone switched to a vegetarian diet, we would have more land and resources to grow food for all the humans on this planet. If we can adequately reallocate the resources we use on animal agriculture, we can end world hunger within a few years.
3. Save Lives
Many lifestyle diseases today are caused by the overconsumption of animal products. Of course, being vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean you’re healthy.
However, today’s Western diet relies heavily on red meat and has been linked to lifestyle diseases like strokes, heart attacks, and diabetes. Most Western populations are obese or overweight thanks to the excess consumption of meat and other animal products.
This reliance on animal products has led to the development of a population that spends heavily on healthcare and dies from diseases that could be avoided by switching to a plant-based diet.
If the entire world went vegetarian, we would have far fewer cases of people suffering from the lifestyle diseases mentioned here. This would lead to far fewer deaths and a higher quality of life.
A Vegetarian World
Aside from the positive outcomes mentioned here, a vegetarian world would also reduce expenses related to environmental damage. A world free from animal farms is a safer, healthier, and less cruel world.
Farm animals don’t deserve the cruel treatment they are being exposed to today, and a vegetarian world can help their suffering. Sure, the world won’t turn vegetarian tomorrow, but you can do your part by raising awareness and making the switch yourself.