New UN Report Says Vegan Diet Vital To Saving The Environment, Curbing Fossil Fuel Use

At the end of a recent post sardonically asking readers if they preferred oil or manure in the water, I mentioned that eating less—and preferably no—meat, eggs, and dairy products can help reduce both manure and oil spills, as it takes 10 times more fossil fuels to produce meat than to produce vegan foods. Since that post, the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) resource panel, has released a report stating that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital if we are to halt climate change and other environmental problems. The U.N. report also suggests curbing fossil fuel use, which can also be achieved by going vegan.

Experts predict that there will be at least 9 billion people in the world by 2050, and global meat consumption is projected to double by that time. Meat consumption has been steadily increasing in China and other countries that once followed a more sustainable diet rich in vegetables and whole soy foods. According to Scientific American, the UN report points out that more than half of the world’s crops are currently used to feed animals, and that conserving fuel and reducing pollution and greenhouse gasses will “only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”

As things stand now, more than one-third of the fossil fuels produced in America are used to raise animals for food. Massive amounts of grains and soybeans are grown for animal feed (it takes about 700 calories worth of feed to produce just one 100-calorie piece of beef) and are transported to processors in gas-guzzling, pollution-spewing 18-wheelers. More energy is used up operating feed mills and factory farms, trucking animals to slaughter, operating slaughterhouses, and then trucking the meat to processing plants, and so on. (Some of these stages are needed to produce and store vegan foods too, of course, but if everyone goes vegan, there will be no need for feed mills, factory farms, and slaughterhouses—and the multiple tractor-trailer trips between them.)

Much like BP, I don’t know how to stop the ever-spreading oil spill in the gulf (although Matter of Trust’s “hairmat” program seems worth pursuing), but following the basic “use less, spill less” concept can help prevent future spills.

And since eating a vegan diet can help mitigate climate change, stop forest destruction, and reduce pollution—as well as animal suffering and many human health problems—I hope everyone will finally heed the U.N.’s call to go vegan. As the UNEP’s Janet Salem pointed out, many environmental problems can be traced to our choice of food. If you haven’t already done so, why not take the 30-day veg pledge and find out how easy it is to be green?

Read more: environment & wildlife

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m S.

3:07PM PDT on Apr 21, 2012

"Past member" hit the right note !! Most vegans are educated They choose to learn about the world,not remain in their tiny selfish bubble You don't have to be completely vegan I think that is a lot to ask BUT people can choose to stop patronizing fast food restaurant and chains,They can decrease meat consumption to 3 x week and only purchase meat humanely raised and killed. I love animals and would love a vegan world But my friends and family think i am crazy. good way to get them to listen is the compromise i just listed

send a green star

antonia m.

3:02AM PDT on Apr 19, 2012

“How can we ourselves find peace when we are the living graves of murdered animals?"
-George Bernard Shaw

3:01AM PDT on Apr 19, 2012

"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kat H.

1:30PM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

i'm getting there... phasing out dairy, then i will do eggs

Libby C.

2:20AM PST on Feb 24, 2012

Very useful and informative article. For all those who go Vegan, Trillions of animals are saved and so is the planet and humankind, all in one fell swoop!

Adam K.

3:15PM PST on Feb 21, 2012

No U.S. government literature such as FDA food guidelines for the american people, says that the vegan diet is vital to anything. What does that tell you?

Jeanne B.

9:34AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Vegan's the way to sustaining human life on this planet. To many, there may not seem to be any urgency about it. But because of our population, its becoming a survival of the species issue. It doesn't matter how much you enjoy it. That's not the point. And you may say we are omnivores, but the truth of the matter is that evolution exists, and that it has been proven over and over that man can live without killing animals. Millions of people never eat meat on this planet!
And then we come to the heart of the matter: do you think animals don't mind that we think of them as food and have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I think they want to live as badly as we do, so its just not a very nice thing to do.

Cayla B.

11:02AM PST on Jan 3, 2012

I have been a vegan for six months and I've never felt better in my life. My body is pure and is no longer a graveyard for these poor animals. I became a vegan because I love animals and the environment. There are several benefits and rewards from not eating meat and dairy. You have more energy, your skin clears, you lose weight, and you're making a difference in the world. If you are curious about becoming a vegan, give it a try! However, make sure you're getting the nutrients you need.

Audrey T.

6:27PM PST on Dec 25, 2011

i love being a vegan, if your not give it a go!

1:54PM PDT on Oct 16, 2011

We are OMNIVORES! We are MEANT TO EAT MEAT!

To you who has said this, we are not, becuse we do not rip meat like animal, so logic no good.
we raise them to be loving , to eat meat makes pain I can not handle, and how can you handle this ?

are we of savages or evolvement continues to humaniti ?

I hope we learn that mistakes to poor animal are mean.

I live to not harm them.

ok