In a world driven by high consumer demand, we often sacrifice the environment’s health to produce animal products. While animal-source foods (ASFs), such as beef, eggs, and milk are staples in many cuisines, adopting vegan diets would drastically decrease our carbon footprint. Recent research from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggests that 16.5% of global greenhouse emissions come from animal agriculture, twice the amount produced by plant-based foods. Additionally, according to World Bank Papers, 90% of Amazon rainforest deforestation is caused by the need for land to grow feed for livestock, and fishing equipment is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the ocean. The livestock itself also contributes to carbon emissions; cattle, in particular, emit large quantities of methane—a potent greenhouse gas and the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide.
Upon realizing the urgency of climate change, countries have set ambitious emission reduction goals. Reducing animal agriculture and encouraging vegan diets could significantly help achieve these goals.
Besides environmental benefits, studies show that eating a vegan diet also improves human health; red meats are often high in saturated fat and processed meats in sodium and preservatives, so eating a vegan diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
At Lawrenceville, the Tsai Dining Hall provides students with many vegan options and students can eat on a vegan diet while still enjoying foods usually classified as ASFs. For example, Tsai serves oat and almond milk, vegan yogurt, and vegan pastries, including bread and cake. For each meal, there are vegan options and a salad bar where students can build their own vegan meal; soy tenders, tasting almost identical to chicken tenders, are a favorite. As vegan diets become more popular globally, many restaurants have also added vegan meals to their menus.
Even if adhering to a strictly vegan diet is too difficult, incorporating vegan meals into your routine can still offer health benefits and positively impact the environment.
Sources
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/vegan-diet-environment
Going vegan for the environment
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6276
https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/0-8213-5691-7
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