Is vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly?

by confuzzled dude Sun Jun 11, 2017 2:28 pm

Ultimately, we cannot say that eating a vegan or vegetarian or meat diet is any better for the environment.

This is because all can be appropriate if production systems are sustainable, there is no waste and positive health outcomes are achieved. There are clearly trade-offs in choosing foods. Air freighting of green beans from Kenya into the UK was seen as unsustainable because of air miles but it also supports up to 1.5m people and livelihoods in some of the poorest regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.

It's not just meat that increase greenhouse gases. Rice -- produced on 163m hectares, around 12% of the global arable area -- has one of the greatest plant carbon footprints because it produces a lot of methane.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/06/health/vegetarian-diet-conversation/index.html

by Vakavaka Pakapaka Sun Jun 11, 2017 3:50 pm

Well, what is required is a holistic approach while paying attention to balanced diet and leaving as small a carbon foot print as possible - can be done with education and proper planning. Meat eaters and vegans putting each other down won't solve the problem.

May be, you should grow your own vegetables, have your own cow and chicken, and do your own farming. This way, you won't leave as much a carbon foot print as an obese, fast food-gobbling urban couch-potato Sikularite. But then, you will end up living like rural folks in old India. You will also create a lot of unemployment.

Is vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly?

Is vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly?

Re: Is vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly?