Meat
and seafood are the two most rapidly growing ingredients in the
global diet and also two of the most costly in resource use. In
2006, 276 million tonnes of chicken, pork, beef and other meat were
produced, 4 times as much as in 1961. On average, each person eats
twice as much meat as back then (43kgs). The fishing industry
harvested 141 million tonnes of seafood globally in 2005, 8 times
as much as in 19505.
Meat is now the single largest source of animal protein in all
affluent nations6 and demand for animal flesh
is expected to more than double by the year
20507. Within this timescale the livestock
population is expected to rise from 60 billion farm animals to 120
billion8. In order to meet this growing appetite,
animals will no doubt be reared more intensively and cheaply with
factory farming and aquaculture (fish farming) causing further
pollution, water and land usage. If nothing is done, the
environmental impact of meat production can only increase.
Diet is
an important tool in working to achieve environmental
sustainability. Studies on world food security estimate that an
affluent diet containing meat requires up to 3 times as many
resources as a vegetarian diet9. Going vegetarian
is an easy way to lower your own environmental impact and help
ensure worldwide food security4, 10,
11.
*For a full list of references