Effects of Diet on the Environment (Q/A)

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants (i.e. chemical substances, noise, gases, heat) into the natural environment which in turn  causes harmful effects on the health of humans, and animals.

Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet’s surface.

There are four main types of such gases: Carbone dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases plus ozone and water vapor. The first three gases are generated by natural sources (at a normal level), and by humans. Nevertheless, the gases produced by humans disturb the existing normal levels of natural gases and thus increase the levels of (gas) concentration in the atmosphere. We may think that these gases form a spherical layer surrounding the Earth. This layer actually traps the Sun’s heat and prevents it from escaping back into the outer space. The net effect is the gradual heating of Earth’s atmosphere and surface (global warming).

For a complete description of what is going on please refer to:

• Main types of greenhouse gases
• World’s top ten greenhouse gas emitters
• Average warming increase in projected by 2100

ss 

• fossil fuel use,
• deforestation,
• intensive livestock farming,
• use of synthetic fertilizers,
• industrial processes,
• animal respiration, and
• plant respiration.
• car, and airplanes gas emissions.

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Unfortunately, what we eat influences the environment we all share. Actually, the current animal based food production industry is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, there is a significant greenhouse gas emission contribution caused by factories that produce non-food related animal products.

Let me summarize the main reasons that create a great deal of the global pollution problem:

1. As it was mentioned elsewhere in this information package, a rather astonishing number of animals and fishes ( more than 100 billion of land animals, and over 2 trillions of fish) are killed yearly for food and other purposes. In order to raise such great numbers of animals/fish, a great amount of animal food, water, drugs and chemicals are necessary. To produce such great amounts of animal food, a huge number of land is needed. This necessitates the destruction of forests (deforestation), and green land, which in turn affects the natural equilibrium of our ecosystem. Furthermore, huge amounts of water are also necessary for so many animals.to survive. So, we deprive our ecosystem from useful land and valuable water that could be used for the survival of people. To make things worse, a great environmental damage  is done by the huge amounts of chemicals used for treating the animal food producing land. (the soil is contaminated and saturated with harmful chemicals).
2. The animal/fish related industries (facilities for slaughtering animals, killing fish, for manufacturing animal/fish based byproducts, and for animal/fish food production) that exist all over the world, are operated continuously (24 hours/day, 7 days/week).
3. The huge amounts of waste and other garbage, generated by the billions of animals, has a lot to do with the generation of high levels of methane and contributes to the greenhouse effect.
4. In addition, oceans are very contaminated/polluted since they are the garbage disposal places of human and industrial waste coming from large seashore cities (i.e. Los Angeles), from off shore oil activities and from the numerous ships that cross earth’s water land. Although such waste materials are supposed to be chemically treated, it is rather impossible to control such treatments. Therefore, water land pollution should be a great health concern for everybody, since nobody knows precisely what is going on. Unfortunately, there are not enough inspectors to check all these health safety water land treatment processes.

All the above (1, 2, 3, 4) clearly affect the planet’s environment and as you know nowadays such environmental disturbances increase earth’s temperature and cause serious problems (i.e. destroy agricultural crops, and effect our health). Unfortunately, not much is done to improve the situation, even though knowledgeable people are trying to alarm those responsible for the creation of the problem.

According to a recent United Nations study (Livestock’s Long Shadow) the meat industry alone is equivalent to the one created by all the cars, trucks, ships, and planes in the world combined.

Clearly, our beautiful planet is very abused by us and everything shows that we are heading for a catastrophe. Do not be disillusioned, the environmental pollution is a very urgent problem and should  be addressed as soon as possible.

It is rather foolish to think that we will be able to reverse the process of destruction by spending billions of dollars, if the problem is greater.

 From the land animals related industries

As it was mentioned in Q4, a great number of land animals/fish are raised and killed yearly for human consumption and other purposes. In order to feed them huge amounts of animal food, and water is necessary. To produce such great amounts of animal food, billions of land acreages are needed (some estimated that the land acreage needed is more the area covered by the entire Asia). This huge land is chemically treated with pesticides, fertilizers, and numerous other chemicals on a daily basis creating uncontrollable amounts of chemical gases, which directly and indirectly contaminate the atmosphere (from the lower (troposphere) to the higher layers (stratosphere). In addition, the atmosphere is polluted with methane and other gases (The four main types of (greenhouse) gases which trap the sun’ s heat and warm the planet’s surface) which contribute to the greenhouse effect, and in turn increase the Earth’s temperature.

It is rather logical, that we should be concerned about what we just mentioned, because the polluted environment is creating health problems now and will create even more in the near future. Chronic diseases such as: respiratory (including asthma), allergies, lung and skin cancer, heart (related to respiratory problems), and probably many others. Furthermore, let us not ignore the fact that  as the Earth’s temperature is increasing, we will face water shortages and may witness the surfacing of new diseases with which  we will be unprepared to deal with.

From the fish related industries

Actually, when you eat wild caught fish, in spite of its nutritional benefits (i.e. omega-3, and proteins), you must also think about the dangers from the contamination of fish from carcinogenic chemicals, heavy metals, and/or even radioactivity.

In addition, farmed raised fish are medicated and fed with chemically processed foods much the same way that land animals are. According to research findings, farm raised fishes are responsible for human body inflammations and are considered to be associated with chronic diseases which makes fish diets raise health questions as well.

As you know, about two billions of people around the world are starving to death. It has been reported that twenty five percent of red meat, about forty percent of poultry, and fifty percent of the fish production is wasted yearly while hundreds of thousands of people starve to death, and billions of animals and fishes are sacrificed.

If you change your diet from meat/fish to vegetables, you will definitely improve the environment, your health and consequently the economy. 

Fortunately, if we act now, research has shown that the atmospheric pollution problem could be much milder, and may be even reversed over time. There is no question that if our dietary habits change from meat eating to vegetarian or vegan foods, this will have a huge effect on improving the environmental problem.

A single statement made by the famous Beatle’s Group performer Sir Paul Mc Carney it tells everything need to be done to save our planet.

STOP EATING MEAT

(and I add to it: STOP EATING FISH as well).