What is Happening to the Environment?
Climate change is a global issue that is impacting our planet at an alarming rate. News cycles often make us feel like climate change is an inevitable occurrence and that there is nothing we can do to decrease the impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in 2018 that we must decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 10% of 2010 emission levels by the year 2030 in order to prevent the world from heating up more than 1.5°C, which would have detrimental impacts around the world.
The EPA states that 24% of global greenhouse emissions come from agricultural and other land use. In October of 2018, The Guardian warned about the damages that food production and beef consumption have on the environment. Some of these damages include deforestation, water shortages due to farming, and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. It is estimated that western countries need to reduce beef consumption by 90% in order to avoid dangerous levels of global warming. Basically, we need to start eating less red meat.
How Red Meat Affects Your Health
Further, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organization, states, "...that high levels of consumption of red and processed meat are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer...." Additionally, a Harvard study shows that those who regularly eat red meat are at a greater risk of dying at a younger age than those who occasionally eat red meat.
So, How Will Me Not Eating Red Meat Help Anything?
It is found that even slightly reducing one's meat consumption has positive impacts on the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as well as decreasing the amount of water used to raise livestock.
This isn't to say it's necessary to completely cut out all red meat from your diet. I love a good cheeseburger just as much as the next person, but it is imperative that we recognize how our diets are contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases, and think of simple ways to reduce those contributions.
One way to reduce the carbon footprint our diets leave is cutting down the amount of red meat we eat. It is as simple as swapping a beef burger for a Beyond Burger patty that can be bought at most grocery stores. Try incorporating more legumes, such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas, into your diet. Another protein swap for red meat is fish, which emits less CO₂ than beef production, but it is important to be aware of the impacts of overfishing, as well. If you want to make a bigger impact, try cutting out meat one day a week from your diet, and possibly increasing the number of days you don't eat meat. The best part of these swaps is they're simple, yet have a large impact on the world as it takes on global warming.
People have taken individual action to help decrease the impacts that global warming has on our world, and hopefully, now you will feel motivated to do the same.
If you're struggling to find yummy places to help decrease your meat intake, try some of these vegetarian restaurants on campus (yay!).