In this article, May Safely Graze contributor RainbowClaire Insley writes that time is running out to keep the worst ravages of climate change from hitting our shores.
Animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change, causing more emissions than transport. We have just 5 years left in which to reverse the trend towards climate disaster. Our food systems need to change drastically if we are to stand a chance of passing on a planet to future generations. Eating plant-based foods reduces emissions due to food by up to 75%, a huge saving across 8 billion people eating three meals a day.
With 85% of the global farmlands used to raise animals for human consumption, which provide just 18% of the global calories, it is clear the situation cannot continue. There are not another 2 planets to feed and house all the animals people want to eat. Humans have never eaten this much meat and dairy in our entire evolution. In paleo times, our ancestors were eating around 200g meat pw. Scientists have calculated that this is the current sustainable amount of meat, which must be pork or chicken, not beef or lamb.
Since 2014 Veganuary has been inspiring people to make lasting change for their health, for the lives of animals, for the resources of the Earth and most importantly to ensure that their children and grandchildren have a survivable future. Millions of people worldwide have successfully tried eating plant-based and found it improved their health, was tastier than they thought it would be, and saved them money on the household shopping.
It’s the Gen Y youngsters who will have to attempt to live on a planet of ever-increasing temperatures, extreme weather events and wildfires. They will also have to cope with ever decreasing global forestry, clean water and fertile land, whilst still dealing with an increasing population! The maths does not add up. Animal Agriculture has been shown to be a leading driver of climate change, and continuing to ignore this will lead to our demise.
Or we could make the choice to save our future by eating mostly plant-based.
In Aotearoa alone this year, 3148 people tried the Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Plant-Based Challenges held every month. This means that 314,800 tonnes of CO2 was saved from each monthly challenge, and that impact ramps up across the year, if everyone kept eating mostly vegan. If each individual kept being vegan for a year, they would collectively save 1.1 million animal lives, 4.8 billion litres of water, 30,500 hectares of forest and 10,300 tonnes of CO2!
It may be a very inconvenient truth, but we will need 3 planets to sustain the current levels of meat eating. We really must learn to live within the means of this one Earth that we have. We are stealing our children’s future, climate chaos is already upon us, yet we allow Big Oil and Big Meat to dictate that their profits are more important than a liveable Earth and a future for everyone.
RainbowClaire Insley is an independent vegan writer and journalist based on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. She writes essays from the heart about our relationship with our planet, and all its inhabitants.
Follow RainbowClaire on Substack.
