Author: Yağmur Ceylan
Publication date: 21.08.2023
Veganism is neither a diet nor a trend. Actually, it’s a concept and lifestyle with a strong philosophical background. In particular, veganism positions the human-animal-nature relationship based on justice and equality. In other words, it supports the development of environmentally friendly ethical alternatives that don’t use animals for the good of animals, people, and the planet.
How Is the Non-Vegan World Going
Animal husbandry not only harms animals and nature, or people but also brings along resource inequality. What’s more, it triggers poverty and feeds class/ethnicity discrimination. This is because it allows more than 83 billion animals raised and killed worldwide each year for the food industry.
However, industrial livestock is not only one of the biggest causes of climate change and deforestation. It is also one of the biggest contributors to the depletion of water resources. On the other hand, an average of 15.3 tons of clean water is used for every 1 kg of meat. Research shows that switching to a plant-based diet can cut our water footprint in half. So, it is estimated that an average of one animal is rescued per day on a vegan diet (including smaller animals such as fish).
The Population of The Non-Vegan World Cannot Be Fed
While the human population has doubled since the 1960s, consumption of meat has increased at least fourfold. This trend continues to cause global warming, widespread environmental pollution, deforestation, land degradation and loss, water scarcity and species extinction. This means more forage/crop to feed more animals. However, by 2050, there will be approximately 2 billion more people in the world compared to today. So, it is not possible for the planet to feed the increasing human and animal population together.
Livestock Farming is Ruining Natural Resources
Livestock farming is seen as one of the human activities that most negatively impacts land and water use worldwide. Continuing the production and consumption of animal products with the increasing world population causes the destruction of forests. In fact, livestock is responsible for 75% of the deforestation in the Brazilian Rainforest.
Statistics related to animal breeding
According to the Proveg International report, 70% of the available freshwater resources and 50% of the habitable land are used for animal husbandry and production. Parallelly, more than 80% of the world's agricultural land is used for meat, egg, and milk production.
Fish farms are no different from meat, milk, and egg production farms. Fishing activities irreversibly destroy fish species and populations in the oceans. Also, they damage many other creatures such as dolphins, whales and sea turtles through accidental catching.
The World Must Go Vegan in Future
Choosing veganism is a powerful way to create a better future for ourselves, animals, and the planet. It helps us reduce our impact on the environment, fosters a more equitable society, and ensures a sustainable food supply for the growing global population. Also, by embracing a vegan lifestyle, we can contribute to a more compassionate, healthier, and harmonious world for generations to come.
In fact, according to many experts and vegans, future generations won’t be able to make sense of past and present animal consumption. A vegan world is a must in order to transfer the resources of the world to the future. What’s more, the future has to be vegan to prevent the problems caused by animal consumption such as thirst and global warming. This way, we prevent the disasters that will occur because of it.