Vegetarian food is a form of sustainable food because the production and consumption of meat produces much more environmental impact than the production of vegetables.
For meat, a lot of silage is needed. Its costs water, land and energy. If it were grown directly for human beings, it would consume less raw materials. For 1 kilo of meat protein, 3 to 10 times as much vegetable protein is required, depending on species and conditions.
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CO2 emissions in meat substitutes such as tofu are 10x times lower than beef and soy milk five times less than cow's milk. Also, taking into account the energy needed for the production and transport of meat substitutes, the environmental impact is much smaller.
Cows shit a lot. Because they are ruminants, they produce methaan gas. Methane and nitrous oxide (N2O) will be released for all stored manure. And believe it or not, those two substances are much more harmful to the ozone layer as CO2.
Certain substances in livestock provide acidification and natural wasting. For example, an excessive concentration of nitrate in surface and groundwater will occur. Before this water is suitable for drinking water, it must be extra-cleaned, which also costs energy.
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A lot of land is being deforest for (largely) the production of animal feed. As long as many animal species are threatened, it also contributes to the greenhouse effect. Less trees = less CO2 that is converted to oxygen.
Meat production also costs a lot of water. By comparison, the production of a kilo of chicken - the least environmentally harmful meat type - costs 3900 liters, the production of one kilo of soya beans 1800 liters. Even the production of rice, one of the most water-slumping vegetable food sources, is still lower with its 3400 liters than that of chicken.
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I think we should stop eating meat!
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