A sustainable planet is in your hands!

Could what you put at the end of your fork make for a sustainarble future?

Five of the nine critical ecological areas of overshoot as shown in Doughnut Economics could be stopped and reversed by every individual reducing consumption of harmful foods, that not only are a major contributor to environmental degradation but also the major contributor to chronic diseases.

Cut out all meat, fish, and dairy foods from your diet. This alone would cut greenhouse gases by between 25 – 50%, equivalent to all emissions from transport, stop the loss of the earth’s lungs – the rainforests, reduce the need for food production by 75%, and with the right distribution system ensure adequate food for everyone, improve the health of everyone, reduce the incidence of chronic diseases, reduce the pollution of coastal waters from agricultural fertiliser run-off and animal waste, permit the regrowth of our fauna and flora, especially endangered species, and much more. Currently, estimates suggest between 50 – 75% of all grain and pulses go to feed animals! HERE

Conserve fresh water whenever possible, it’s a scarce resource. Freshwater will be more valuable than oil in a few years’ time. Sources of freshwater are increasingly being depleted due to pollution or overexploitation. Producing animal and dairy foods is a major reason for this. Raising livestock accounts for 80% of agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet. Expansion of life stock production is a key factor in deforestation, 70% of Amazon Forest is now occupied by pastures and feed crops for animals. Worldwide water shortage is becoming a critical factor, it takes 3000 gallons of water to feed enough cow to make a quarter pound hamburger and between 500 and 1000 gallons for a cow for a quart of milk and it takes 650 gallons for a pound of cheese. it takes 75 times as much water to produce a calorie of beef compared with a potato. Not only our livestock using huge quantities of water, but they also are polluting it on a vast scale and are causing loss of fertile soil due to erosion and overgrazing.

The fact that high meat consumption is related to increased mortality from chronic diseases, cancers, heart disease, strokes, diabetes and more should be a good enough reason to reduce its consumption. 

One of the simplest ways of securing a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren is at the end of your fork!