According to The Guardian, JBS, Cargill, and Tyson—three
of the
world’s largest meat producers—emitted
more greenhouse gas last year than all of France and nearly as much as the
biggest oil companies, such as Exxon, BP, and Shell.
Hardly any meat or dairy companies publish their climate emissions,
so it’s almost impossible to know the exact amount of greenhouse gas generated.
But using the most comprehensive data from the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, The Guardian estimated emissions from animal
agriculture, and the results are staggering.
The top 20 meat and dairy companies emitted more greenhouse
gas in 2016 than all of Germany, Europe’s biggest climate polluter. This means
if these companies were a country, they would be the world’s seventh-largest
greenhouse gas emitter.
It’s impossible to take world leaders seriously when they
fail to mention animal agriculture in addressing climate action. Raising animals for food emits more
greenhouse gas than all the cars, planes, and other forms of
transportation combined.
What’s more, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent
of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading
culprits.
But simply by avoiding animal products, you cut your carbon footprint in half. Keep in
mind that a pound of beef requires 13 percent more fossil fuel and 15 times
more water to produce than a pound of soy. Additionally, a recent study found
that switching to a
plant-based diet reduces your personal carbon emissions more than replacing
your gasoline-powered car with a hybrid.
There is no such thing as “sustainable” meat, and
plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy, and eggs take a mere fraction of the
resources to produce as their animal-based counterparts.
A vegan diet is not just good for the planet. It also spares
countless animals lives of misery at factory farms. Pigs, cows, chickens, and
other farmed animals suffer horribly. These innocent animals face unthinkable horrors: cruel caged confinement; brutal
mutilations; and bloody, merciless deaths.
Join the millions of people who are helping protect farmed
animals and the planet by switching to a vegan diet. Click here to get started!