5 Devastating Facts About the Destruction of Earth

Climate change today has been labelled as “humankind’s greatest challenge” because of the affect that it has on every part of earth in many different ways. Whether its world hunger, unclean water or greenhouse gas, you can bet that its linked to climate change. What’s more interesting however, is that over half of climate change is directly linked to the consumption of meat and dairy. Today I’m going to go through 5 devastating facts about the meat and dairy industry, and discuss the impact that these facts have on our lives and climate.

1. It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat [1]

According to research carried out by PETA, it takes over 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, this is similar to 50 full bathtubs. The reason that this figure is so high is because the cattle needs to be fed grains and antibiotics that cause weight gain, and this takes up a whole lot of water. The water that we should be saving!

2. Meat causes cancer! [2]

Processed meats like salami, bacon and sausages are labelled as ‘group 1 causes of cancer’ by Cancer Research UK, meaning that it’s likely that these products do cause cancer. Additionally, red meats like pork, beef and lamb have been labelled as a ‘group 2 cause’. Think about what you’re eating when you’re putting cancer into your body.

3. Governments, companies and meat suppliers lie to us to make us buy their products [3] [4]

We’ve been told about the “essential” food groups that we must have every day, however, as described in point 2, meat causes cancer! Another example would be the ‘GOT MILK?’ campaign, which tries to get us to drink more milk, but in fact, most of us are lactose intolerant in some way. Take a look at the 11 Reasons Why Milk is Bad for You to find out more. 

4. Non-vegans destroy around 198 lives a year [5]

PETA member and mathematician Noam Mohr researched the amount of animals that are served per person on America's plates per year, the amount was 198 innocent animals- all killed because of our “need” for meat and dairy. He discovered the average amounts that people consumed each year:

•       Roughly 130 shellfish

•       40 fish

•       26 chickens

•       One turkey

•       Nearly half a pig

•       A little more than a tenth of a cow

5. Speciesism is a thing [6]

Speciesism in short, is the discrimination against not race, not sex or age, but species. Please, tell me what the difference is between killing someone because of their race over killing someone because of their species? Think about it! Have a look at this page on What is Speciesism? to learn more.

There's no need for us to try and cut down fuel, water and packaging when we're already killing 51% of the planet by eating meat and dairy. Let me know how you feel about humankind’s greatest challenge and these 5 devastating facts about the destruction of earth. I plan to write more about these horrible facts in the future, so hold tight!

[1] http://www.peta.org/features/meat-climate-change/

[2] http://zniup3zx6m0ydqfpv9y6sgtf.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/151026-IARC-Meat-rating-UPDATE2.png

[3] http://www.care2.com/causes/8-of-the-biggest-lies-the-dairy-industry-has-told-you.html

[4] http://www.peta.org/living/food/10-things-wish-everyone-knew-meat-dairy-industries/

[5] http://www.peta.org/blog/vegans-save-185-animals-year/

[6] http://www.veganism.com/what-is-speciesism/