Why Do We Need an Earth-friendly Diet?

Animal agriculture has devastating impacts on wildlife and the environment. Meat production is one of humanity’s most destructive and least efficient systems, accounting for astounding levels of wildlife losses, land and water pollution, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. [insert farm or feedlot photo]

World population has already surpassed 7.5 billion people and is heading toward 10 billion by mid-century. As our population and consumption continue to grow, so does meat production, which tripled between 1980 and 2010 and will likely double again by 2020 [1]. Livestock already occupy more than 25 percent of the Earth’s land, with 70 percent of all agricultural land dedicated to feed and production [2]. Every minute, seven football fields’ worth of land is bulldozed to create room for more livestock and feed crops — land that was once habitat for wild animals and biologically diverse ecosystems that play a key role in absorbing carbon dioxide and filtering water sources [3].

There are so many livestock on Earth that animals raised for food account for about 20 percent of terrestrial animal biomass [2]. In the United States alone, about 10 billion land animals are raised for food each year. That’s about 32 animals per person, plus all land and water needs, pollution and emissions that go with them. [Insert biomass graphic http://xkcd.com/1338/]

Americans eat more meat per capita than almost any other country: 270 pounds per person, per year [4]. If all Americans were to eliminate meat from their diets just one night a week, the emissions savings would be analogous to taking 30 to 40 million cars off the road for a year [5]. If the average American reduced her meat consumption by one-third, it would have the greenhouse gas equivalent of driving 2,700 fewer miles [6] and saving 340,667 gallons of water per year [7].