To Save the World's Rainforest, Eat Plant-Based
/Trees—they’re the basis of life around the world. They provide shade to shield us from the harsh rays of the sun, are home to millions of various insects, critters, and animals, and are just simply beautiful. These miraculous creations of nature are also essential to the survival of our planet.
However, these trees are being cut down at dangerously large rates in the process known as deforestation. Deforestation—especially in the rainforests—leads to a major loss in the ecosystem’s biodiversity. In fact, rainforest destruction results in the extinction of up to 137 plant, animal, and insect species every day. [1] The driving cause of deforestation and habitat loss is animal agriculture. In the present moment, over 50 percent of the world’s arable land is dedicated to livestock grazing or growing feed. [2]
As the population of the world grows, the area of land used for agriculture will only increase. Since there is a limited amount of arable land, more will have to be cleared out by cutting down trees. According to a World Bank Working Paper, animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon rainforest destruction. [3] Therefore, eating plant-based would eliminate this 91% and leave only 9% of the current rainforest destruction—a still unwanted, but more manageable figure.
Although all this alarming information may make it seem hopeless, there’s some good news. A study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Social Ecology in Vienna and published in the acclaimed international peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications claims that all deforestation related to food could be taken down to zero by 2050 if people go plant-based, removing all meat and dairy products from their diets. [4]
Furthermore, the researchers concluded that “it is possible to produce sufficient food for the world in 2050 and at the same time maintain the current forests of the world.” Such is the power of a plant-based eating pattern. In their study, the researchers took measurements for various food production scenarios. Unsurprisingly, they found that the higher the meat consumption, the higher the deforestation rates. Thus, it’s completely a no-brainer to begin eliminating the consumption of animal products and replace those calories with health-promoting plant-based products.
Quite surprisingly, over three-quarters or 75% of the world’s soy is fed to livestock. This means that most of the land that could be used to grow plants for human consumption is instead fed to animals creating inefficiencies in the system. For example, it takes 100 calories of grain to produce 3 calories of beef. [5] In this example, simply eating plant-based would allow over 30 times more people to eat from a patch of land initially used to grow grain that would be fed to animals.
In the past few years, you may have even heard of some forest fires in the Amazon Rainforest. These fires were directly related to the beef industry. According to the scientific director of the Brazilian IPAM (Institute of Environmental Research in Amazonia), Ane Alencar, the fires are “set by people seeking to create cattle ranches.” [6] The results of these deadly fires are devastating as can be seen from the many photos.
All in all, there’s no doubt that eating plant-based is better for the rainforests of this world. Hopefully this is a great reason to stay plant-based or make the transition if you are not yet fully plant-based. Despite the dire situation at hand, there is still so much we can do to help solve the problem of deforestation. I wish you all the very best!
Sources:
[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-daily-destruction/
[2] https://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/plant-based-can-save-our-forests/
[3] http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/758171468768828889/pdf/277150PAPER0wbwp0no1022.pdf
[4] https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11382
[6] https://www.livekindly.co/eddie-huang-goes-vegan-save-amazon-rainforest/