This is an extraordinary post - thanks for rebloggin 
Having been vegetarian and vegan, and opting for ethical meat maybe once a month when I can't resist because my body is telling me I need it, this post appeals to me. I'm interested in socio-cultural reasons we opt into a meat diet and it's interesting too how self interest (health) can take precedence over ahimsa (cause no harm).
It's also fascinating how many plant based PRODUCTS are out there and are completely unnecessary and probably worse for you health wise than meat. I get it - we live in a fast paced world where convenience trumps home cooked meals, and many have forgotten how easy it is is to 'whip up' a bean burger like my Mum always did, and I can do easily. It seems they are cashing in on a market. IN many ways it's marketing and consumerism I resist with my largely plant based lifestyle suppplemented with home grown food from my own garden (another act of resistance).
I'm also fascinated by meat eaters turned vegan after watching shows like Cowspiracy etc.
What I do resent is the attack on vegans for their lifestyle choices. Sure, they might mention it a bit - but out of necessity - as in, don't feed me that animal product because I intensely care about what I put in my body, the environment, and animals, so....
Liberals are 5.5 times more likely to be vegetarian and 2.5 are more likely to be vegan than Conservatives.
This is interesting as well. Before climate change was an argument, I guess liberals were more likely to be pro animal rights etc, more likely to be socialist. I think environmental reasons are a good reason to not choose meat - agricultural is responsible for environmental degradation, even if you put the whole climate change debate to one side. They say we only have 60 years of topsoil left through intenstive farming practices, including livestock. Bananas. Also, the amount of WASTE - we don't eat what we need, but what we are told we need. Chicken wings, not the whole chicken. If I eat chicken, I choose it whole, and use every part of it, even down to bones for stock. WE seem to have lost that close connection to food, which disconnects us from our very selves, the environment, the entire world. Everythign becomes mindless consumption. PErhaps it's the mindlessness that bothers me, and reminds me the careful attention of this post on such matters is what appeals to me. Thansk for sharing.
RE: Do the reasons for reducing meat consumption matter?