by Amelia Jones

 – The biosphere, where all life on Earth is, faces such extreme stress that the UN warns we have 12 years before catastrophic consequences [1]. Environmental degradation is inevitable in a capitalist-driven world, therefore, it’s futile to tackle climate action, a major UN Sustainable Development Goal [2], without systemic change. Despite this, ethical consumers can influence dynamic supply and demand promoting products with less environmental impacts. Transitioning to plant-based diets, in particular, could reduce global greenhouse emissions by 29-70% [3].

Transitioning to veganism is the most influential action one could take to minimise their carbon footprint (The Independent 2020) [4]. Based off a study experimenting on 40000 farms over 119 countries, scientists investigated farm practices and the sustainability of consumerism of agricultural products. The findings were that “dietary change…should be pursued…[but] widespread behavioural change will be hard,” especially in the timeframe the UN warns of [5]. Considering land efficiency, the average meat eater’s diet uses 18 times more land than a vegan’s. Furthermore, in 1.5 acres of land, vegetables produce almost 100 times more food than meat [6].

A “green” future could be on the rise with the increasing popularity of veganism. (Original photo by the author)

Veganism primarily avoids the resource-intensive livestock industry while promoting better well-being and reduced mortality. In the documentary, What the Health, it’s stated that a “low fat, plant-based diet is more than twice as powerful at controlling and/or reversing diabetes, than the American Dietetic Association diet recommending meat and dairy [7].” Health risks derived from red and processed meat consumption are minimised through veganism. Red meats are carcinogenic, due to its presence of heterocyclic aromatic amines- chemicals causing DNA damage- and are a risk factor for several cancers, according to the Lancet Oncology [8]. Personally, I feel there’s enough succinct evidence disparaging the consumption of animal products if populations are to have healthy diets.

The International Livestock Research Institution noted a solution to reduce greenhouse emissions relating to diet: reducing demand for livestock products [9]. This could be achieved individually through veganism, or with quotas of weekly meat intake by health professionals and governmental bodies potentially.

Veganism is a personal choice, which could be controversial considering food’s integral role in culture. Furthermore, veganism isn’t inclusive: people in more remote areas, particularly indigenous people like Inuit in Northern Canada, don’t have a consistent source of organic food as it’s too unaffordable and inaccessible. For example, broccoli could cost over $16, meaning impoverished families specifically, cannot rely on imported produce [10]. The theory of veganism sounds plausible as a sustainable global diet, however, it likely isn’t the single solution given its ties to geographical inequalities. Consequently, veganism is more applicable to people with more access to cheap organic goods, as some communities may struggle for access due to factors such as environmental racism.

The truth is, systemic change takes time, and the 12 years left that the UN warns about, will soon be present: the most effective way to remove yourself from contributing to environmental degradation, is to phase out animal products and voting through being a “pensive” consumer where possible, although we must remember veganism isn’t entirely inclusive, and isn’t the single solution.

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References

1. Watts, J. (2018). We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report [15.11.2020]
2. (2020). Goal 13: Climate action. https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-13-climate-action.html [15.11.2020]
3. Springmann M et al. (2016). Analysis and valuation of the health and climate cobenefits of dietary change. Natural Academy of Sciences, 113, 15 4146-4151
4. Petter O. (2020). Veganism is “single biggest way to reduce our environmental impact”, study finds. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html
5. Poore J, Nemecek T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360, 6392, 987-992
6. Andersen K and Kuhn K. (2014). https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts [15.11.2020]
7. Andersen K et al. (2017). What the health. https://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/facts [17.11.2020]
8. Loomis D et al. (2015). Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. The Lancet Oncology, 16, 8, 891-892
9. Thornton P, Herrero M, Polly Ericksen. (2011). Livestock and climate change. International Livestock Research Institute, 3
10. Zitser J. (2020). Inuit woman perfectly responds to vegans criticising indigenous culture for hunting.https://www.indy100.com/article/inuit-hunting-vegan-arctic-indigenous-culture-9719901 [12.11.2020]