As we commemorate Earth Day today, it is a good time to take stock of how the choices we make affect our planet and future generations. There is one decision each of us can make that will have a positive effect on almost every environmental threat we face – stop supporting animal agribusiness by switching to a plant-based diet.
Most grain crops and soy we produce are fed to animals that in turn become food. The immense use of water and chemicals used to grow all this grain is a leading cause of water pollution and water shortages. The massive amounts of fecal waste generated by the world's 55+ billion farmed animals is also a major source of water pollution as well as air pollution. And the 70+ percent of the world's arable land given over to the animal agribusiness industry is the biggest cause of soil erosion, desertification and the destruction of rainforests and other habitats, and is hastening the extinction of thousands of animal species. The methane produced by the world's 1.4 billion cattle is a leading contributor to our climate crisis.
As millions of vegans from around the world can attest, there is no sacrifice in eliminating animals from our diets. In fact, much of the world's people are slowly moving in that direction. Please consider joining them.
There are some good statistics about the immense planetary damage caused by animal agriculture here.