Is it better for the environment if I choose to be a vegetarian?

[jockslap]

Not saying i intend to, but the topic came up in school but we never really got around to discussing it, so i would like to know what you guys think, and also if i could get some sources that would be cool too, because i have a feeling this might end up being a project.

 

[Simriel]

I highly doubt it. I can see no reason why.

 

[Abedeus]

Of course not.

Food chain and eating animals is a natural thing. Unless you are eating humans, then it's not a natural thing.

 

[DannyBoy451]

Depends if the fruits and vegetables you're eating are being flown in from all over the world, I guess.

 

[Brotherofwill]

No, can't see any obvious benefits

Food chain and eating animals is a natural thing. Unless you are eating humans, then it's not a natural thing.

Why wouldn't that be natural? Quite a few animals eat their own species, even some apes do.

 

[jockslap]

maybe something to do with the methane emissions from cows?

 

[SmilingKitsune]

I highly doubt it. I can see no reason why.

Well meat processing plants produce gagantuan ammounts of grenhouse gases, so it does actually effect the environment, I know some people who became vegetarians just because of that, though I think the whole thing is ultimately futile dspite the fact I used to be one.

 

[Abedeus]

No, can't see any obvious benefits

Food chain and eating animals is a natural thing. Unless you are eating humans, then it's not a natural thing.

Why wouldn't that be natural? Quite a few animals eat their own species, even some apes do.

Human's don't do that.

We are talking about human beings.

Humans have been eating animals since before we could stand up straight.

So unless you are killing 20 cows just to get a piece of leg from every one of them (and throw the rest into the forest), and you are doing that twice a day, changing your food menu doesn't change anything in the world.

 

[Brotherofwill]

No, can't see any obvious benefits

Food chain and eating animals is a natural thing. Unless you are eating humans, then it's not a natural thing.

Why wouldn't that be natural? Quite a few animals eat their own species, even some apes do.

Human's don't do that.

We are talking about human beings.

I was more questioning why it wouldn't be natural, rather than why we don't do it. Humans have been known to do it.

 

[timlxq]

I fail to see how being Vegetarian would be better for the environment.

Methane should only be emitted if you eat a hell lot of Veg like cows, and so it actually impacts negatively there, but the significance is quite small.

I highly doubt it. I can see no reason why.

Well meat processing plants produce gagantuan ammounts of grenhouse gases, so it does actually effect the environment, I know some people who became vegetarians just because of that, though I think the whole thing is ultimately futile dspite the fact I used to be one.

Huh? Please Elaborate.

 

[RetiarySword]

Not saying i intend to, but the topic came up in school but we never really got around to discussing it, so i would like to know what you guys think, and also if i could get some sources that would be cool too, because i have a feeling this might end up being a project.

Farm anilmals give out loads of methane. Thats realy bad for the enviroment. By eating meat your supporting the culling of the problem.

 

[Hippobatman]

Nope. Face it, who will do the photosynthesis when you've eaten all the plants?

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Vegitarians would probably tell you so, I'm not sure myself.

I think Ranching is likely bad for the environment, but I really don't think becoming entirely vegitarian will help the environment.

 

[Kajt]

No, as eating meat is a natural part of the food chain.

 

[sms_117b]

Humans do eat other humans, it's just a cultural taboo in the modern world, in fact I believe it's almost classed as a mental disease in the modern world.

Essentially the diet of one person will not affect the environment, what meat you don't eat will either be eaten by someone else or throw away, so you could say that you'd be having a negative impact since there is no chance factories will cut their production and emissions.

 

[iain62a]

Depends if the fruits and vegetables you're eating are being flown in from all over the world, I guess.

Yeah, that's a good point.

An interesting fact is that cows produce a helluva lot of methane, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. They contribute quite a lot to global warming. I like my beef too much for that to make me stop eating them though.

EDIT: Fuck this, I'm off for a kebab.

 

[Echo3Delta]

The best way to help the environment (if environmentalists are to be believed) is to find a gun, put the barrel in your mouth, and pull the trigger. No more carbon footprint; one less cancer on the plan- er, I mean human being!

 

[Quick Ben]

I feel most of what I know about the topic is covered already, but I would like to mention something related. Only 10% of the energy in the food something eats ends up 'building' the animal. So eating 1 kg of meat consumes 10 times more resources than eating vegetables, fruit etc.

So while it does not help the environment directly, it would help the earth's growing food shortages. That again, would probably indirectly help with a lot of problems...

 

[Video Gone]

I have an idea! How about we all eat vegetarians? LAWS OF NATURE, MY FRIENDS. LAWS. OF. NATURE. If this idea comes to fruition, bagsy I get John Prescott!