Humans must adopt vegetarian or vegan diets to stop climate change, UN report warns (veg group)

[mucifer]

The world must turn towards healthy plant-based diets to stop climate change, a UN-backed report has warned.

Cows, pigs and other farm animals release huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere. While there is less methane in the atmosphere than other greenhouse gases, it is around 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat.

Raising livestock also means converting forests into agricultural land, meaning CO2-absorbing trees are being cut down, further adding to climate change. More trees are cut down to convert land for crop growing, as around a third of all grain produced in the world is used to feed animals raised for human consumption.

Factory farms and crop growing also requires massive amounts of water, with 542 litres of water being used to produce just a single chicken breast.

As well as this, the nitrogen-based fertiliser used on crops adds to nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrous oxide is around 300 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere. These fertilisers can also end up in rivers, further adding to pollution.

Overall, studies have shown that going vegetarian can reduce your carbon emissions from food by half. Going vegan can reduce this further still.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7321833/amp/Humans-adopt-vegetarian-vegan-diets-stop-climate-change-report-warns.html

[handmade34]

2. yes

good science, I agree... signed a healthy, happy vegetarian!

[wasupaloopa]

3. We can't do this we have developed canine teeth so we have to eat meat.

I have been a vegetarian for 30 years now, almost half of my 73 years on earth.

[mitch96]

5. "we have developed canine teeth"

Yes...... very small ones.. More molars to grind with. Long intestines to process veg, not short ones like carnivores... For me health wise Veg is the way to go... YMMV..
m

[Cicada]

4. I have good news!

I became a vegetarian 34 years ago. But I have never forgotten exactly what a cheese burger tastes like and I have really missed them. Veggie burgers have always been a very poor substitute though I have eaten a zillion of them. But this weekend my omnivore wife bought for me a package of two beyond meat burgers. To my shock it is extremely close to the real thing. I would say 95% of the way there. More importantly they were yummy as hell. I want more! I no longer will have cheese burger envy. Expensive, three dollars per four ounce patty. But my food costs so much less than my wife’s, with her steaks and salmon and so on, that it’s not a problem. I am happy to pay $12 per pound.

[mucifer]

6. I have been a vegetarian since 1982 and vegan for the last 6 years

I tried both the beyond and the impossible burgers and they both made me a bit sick. I like the black bean or tofu burgers so much better. The great thing is so many omnis are eating those burgers so it's all helping people eat less animals. Now burger king has the impossible burger .