Our planet has beef with the meat industry, and you should too

I remember watching the movie, Babe, for the first time when I was nine. I felt such an immense sadness for this poor, intelligent, CGI pig that I swore off meat right then and there. Fifteen years later, I’ve held true to that promise, minus the celebratory sushi dinner on special occasions. As I learned more about the true costs of animal agriculture, I knew that I could not conscionably keep my diet the same, and decided to eat plant-based as much as possible. Reducing our meat consumption isn’t just about saving cute pigs who can herd sheep. It may be the single most important action we can take to save our planet.  

The meat industry accounts for nearly 20% of our global greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change and fueling the rise of natural disasters linked to global warming. Meat production is the largest source of methane and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gases that trap significantly more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2). The resources required to breed, raise, and slaughter over 90 billion land animals every year has caused catastrophic habitat destruction, polluted low-income communities, and fostered inhumane working conditions in factory farms worldwide. As environmental and humanitarian crises escalate, it is more urgent than ever to implement policies and education that incentivize people to eat less meat. 

 

Meat consumption tends to rise with wealth, so it is no surprise that richer, more globalized countries drive this surge. The United States leads the world in beef exports and remains the top beef producer alongside Brazil and China. Global demand for meat has more than tripled in the past 50 years, and red meat intake in North America, Latin America, and Europe is 300-600% higher than daily recommended levels. Eating more meat may be a marker of improved livelihood and financial stability, but it also indicates large environmental and wealth disparities. While the Global North reaps the financial benefits from the meat industry, the Global South suffers the brunt of the environmental harm. Climate-induced disasters do not discriminate between borders, but countries with fewer resources face greater challenges in recovering. Why should poorer nations pay the price for the wealthiest countries’ meat addiction? 

 

Global meat production also fuels pandemics. Six out of ten infectious diseases originate from human-animal interactions. Past outbreaks linked to livestock production include SARS, swine flu, Avian Influenza, and, most recently, COVID-19. After a Wuhan meat market was identified as the catalyst for the outbreak, China now faces immense international pressure from organizations like the UN and WHO to increase regulations. Scientists have been warning us for decades: as long as demand for meat grows, so will our risk of the next outbreak. 

 

There are a million arguments to make for why it is time to ditch meat. The environmental costs, global health concerns, and animal welfare violations caused by meat production should be enough to make you rethink your diet. There is only one problem: meat is delicious. I have spoken to countless friends and family members about my decision to become vegetarian and backed up my rationale with undeniable facts about the industry. They all agree, but it doesn’t change the food they put on their plates. Meat holds culinary significance that allows us to connect across cultures. It is a staple of the human diet that has existed as long as we have. However, the rate at which we produce and consume meat is not natural or sustainable. Research done by Johns Hopkins University found that if everyone replaced meat with a vegetarian meal for just one day a week, we could reduce our annual greenhouse gas emissions by 267 megatons a year. This is the equivalent to the annual climate impact of 251 coal-fired power plants. People often approach their diets with an all-or-nothing mindset. I have had several friends completely swear off meat after learning about its environmental harms, only to admit that they had steak for dinner the next night and had “failed” their vegetarian journey. But reducing meat intake doesn’t have to be a dramatic shift. Even small, consistent changes make a meaningful environmental difference when many people commit. By being more mindful of how much meat we eat, we can ease into healthier, plant-based foods and better appreciate the more occasional meals when meat is on our plate. 

 

While individual diet choices are critical in reducing meat consumption, we cannot absolve large corporations or government decisions that encourage and profit from the mass production of meat. Livestock production is heavily subsidised in most western nations, making supermarket prices artificially cheap. These low costs reflect low-paid labor, animal welfare abuses, weaker sanitary regulation, and massive environmental harm. Subsidies encourage overconsumption far beyond recommended levels which leads to health issues associated with red meat intake. The rate at which we eat meat is literally killing us and driving up our medical bills. However, reducing red and processed meat could save billions of dollars in healthcare costs globally, especially for low-income households. Taxpayer dollars should not support industries that harm the environment and public health. Instead, governments should redirect subsidies toward plant-based alternatives, which offer healthy benefits and use far less resources. 

 

At the individual level, it is time that plant-based meals become the default, not the exception. It is also time that the meat industry is held accountable for its environmental and global health degradation, and that governments make plant-based food more accessible for all people. We must learn to create a more sustainable food system that prioritizes our environment, the health of humans, and the dignity of the animals we eat.