- There is much scientific and medical evidence of the harmful effects of animal farming on individual health, environment, cruelty to many animals
- Society impact of zoonotic diseases is very high to health, life and economy
- Need to create goVeg/goGreen initiative to switch to better diets quickly
- Many governments have or considered alternative food guidelines
- Canada recommends plant based foods in their food guide
- New Zealand government recommends vegan food
- China recommends to reduce its meat consumption by 50%
Environmental impact of livestock farming
- Humans eat 230 million tonnes of meat each year.
- The four species – chickens, cows, sheep and pigs – need vast amounts of food and water, emit methane and other greenhouse gases and produce mountains of physical waste.
- Environment waste and emissions account for up-to 50% from livestock farming.
- The oil burned transporting meat to markets often thousands of miles away.
- The electricity needed to keep the meat cool, the gas used to cook it.
- The energy needed to plough and harvest the fields that grow the crops that the animals eat, even pumping the water that the cattle need.
Emissions from Animal and Ocean farming
- Animal agriculture is 15%-50% of emissions, 15% is all world’s transportation, emissions from agriculture expected to increase more than transport
- United Nations’ original report (Livestock’s Long Shadow)
- Produce lot of Methane gas emissions that are more toxic vs Co2
- Produce 65% of worlds nitrous oxide that is 200x worse than Co2
- Take 1/3rd of world’s fresh water
- Agriculture run off causes less oxygen in ocean causing large dead zones