Why Vegetarianism Can Be Our Future

Video: Why Vegetarianism Can Be Our Future

Video: Why Vegetarianism Can Be Our Future
Video: How could veganism change the world? | The Economist 2024, December
Why Vegetarianism Can Be Our Future
Why Vegetarianism Can Be Our Future
Anonim

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in 2015 there was a sharp jump in meat consumption worldwide. The data show that last year 308. 2 million tons of meat were produced, including 114 million tons of pork, 106.4 million tons of chicken, 68.1 million tons of beef and veal, 13. 8 million tons of sheep and goat and a small percentage of other meats.

Last year, the average meat consumption in the world was 43.1 kg per person per year, and in developed countries were eaten an average of 79.3 kg per capita, and in developing countries - 33.3 kg.

Experts from the organization believe that this jump marks only the beginning of an avalanche increase in meat consumption. According to them, in the next 20 years it will increase by 60 percent. The reason for this is the rapidly growing middle class worldwide, which can afford to consume meat and dairy products.

This, of course, will lead to increased demand for meat, rising prices and difficulties in producing the required amount. This process can also lead to economic problems, especially in underdeveloped agricultural countries.

In addition to the impending economic turmoil, experts warn that there are other reasons why we should give up our carnivorous tendencies and turn to vegetarianism.

Vegan
Vegan

Increased meat consumption will lead to an increase in livestock. It is a known fact that farm animals are one of the main air pollutants due to their high methane production.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency even says that methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas in the world, and that more than 60 percent of its total emissions come from agriculture.

Global efforts to reduce methane in the atmosphere are already a priority, and more and more governments are seeking to reduce its distribution through a number of measures to producers. In the United Kingdom and the United States, several campaigns have even been launched for two years on the dangers to the environment from the sharp increase in meat production. They are also accompanied by campaigns in support of vegetarianism.

Analyzes show that if the carnivorous trend does not continue or even decline in the next 10 years, an ecological catastrophe awaits us. Currently in the UK, the campaigns have been partially successful, with nearly 35 percent of the island's residents willing to give up meat for environmental reasons.

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