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

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Cows produce a ton of methane which does adversely affect the environment, and anyone who says otherwise has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Sourcey [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm]

But will one person going veggie help? No, that's way too small of movement to have an impact. Would everyone going veggie help? You bet it would, but not everyone is willing to do that because they're too busy justifying what they're doing so that they can continue eating meat. By continuing to eat meat you're still being part of the problem. Sure, the meat industry isn't dying out because little old you stopped eating meat, but as more people do it, it does have an impact. You can say that it makes no difference what you do by the time it's in the store, but by continuing to purchase the meat and support the industry, guess how much you're doing to solve anything? Absolutely fucking nothing.

This is what I wanted to say. Also though, if the whole world was vegetarian you can feed more people from an ecological point of view. Every time something passes in the food chain/is eaten (For Example: Cow eating grass) about 10% (Just an average, not always this) of the energy is passed on. So if a human eats that cow that ate the grass, the human gets 1% of the energy, rather than the 10% a human gets from eating a plant himself/herself. So more plants = more energy = feeding more people. I'm a bit fuzzy on this, but I remember there was a question on one of my biology tests last year asking how more vegetarians would be better. Of course, this isn't really related to the environment, but it's still a valid point, I guess.

And to the people above saying you need protein from meat. There's nuts and beans along with tofu.

According to my student teacher for Biology last year (I don't remember if my actual teacher verified this), human teeth aren't made for eating meat.

Do you know how much grass the cow has to eat to gain the energy it does? Herbivores have to eat all day long to gain enough energy to survive, and they spend the rest of their time sleeping. And human teeth are designed perfectly as omnivorous teeth.

Carnivores get huge energy payoffs from killing and eating other animals, although they have to expend a lot of energy to catch and kill prey, but have to eat less frequently, herbivores spend all their time eating. Omnivores are superior to any straight herbivore or carnivore. We can eat nearly anything and are less penned in by the constraints of over-specialization.

And as for the environmental concerns, it doesn't matter, the only way the cows stop producing methane, is if they are exterminated.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Depends on if it's farmed or "wild" food, really. Shooting a wild deer or picking wild berries could be described as being better for the environment because it doesn't knock down nature to make way for farmland.

 

[PurpleRain]

And as for the environmental concerns, it doesn't matter, the only way the cows stop producing methane, is if they are exterminated.

...Or if we stop eating them? Profits will go down and the farmers will stop producing more for us.

Depends on if it's farmed or "wild" food, really. Shooting a wild deer or picking wild berries could be described as being better for the environment because it doesn't knock down nature to make way for farmland.

Mhmm, this is true to a form, but we're 'civilised' humans (and I use that word in a bad way). Last few times we took from the wold (fish excluded) we wiped out said animals. The dodo? Even where fishing goes, we collecting too many. Shark finning is screwing up the world in big ways... but Larenxis is probably the one to tell you more on that.

I'm saying, unless we take to Aboriginal traditions such as one taking as much from the land as you need and making sure not to hamr it, we will be fine. But we suck, and there's too much profit in this. I blame money!

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

And as for the environmental concerns, it doesn't matter, the only way the cows stop producing methane, is if they are exterminated.

...Or if we stop eating them? Profits will go down and the farmers will stop producing more for us.

Depends on if it's farmed or "wild" food, really. Shooting a wild deer or picking wild berries could be described as being better for the environment because it doesn't knock down nature to make way for farmland.

Mhmm, this is true to a form, but we're 'civilised' humans (and I use that word in a bad way). Last few times we took from the wold (fish excluded) we wiped out said animals. The dodo? Even where fishing goes, we collecting too many. Shark finning is screwing up the world in big ways... but Larenxis is probably the one to tell you more on that.

I'm saying, unless we take to Aboriginal traditions such as one taking as much from the land as you need and making sure not to hamr it, we will be fine. But we suck, and there's too much profit in this. I blame money!

If we stop eating them they will still exist. If we keep eating them they will definitely still exist. As long as they survive in any large population they will spew methane. So it matters not which side you take seeing as the vegesauruses don't have the guts to wipe them out, and the meat eaters want to keep things the way they are.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Mhmm, this is true to a form, but we're 'civilised' humans (and I use that word in a bad way). Last few times we took from the wold (fish excluded) we wiped out said animals. The dodo? Even where fishing goes, we collecting too many. Shark finning is screwing up the world in big ways... but Larenxis is probably the one to tell you more on that.

I'm saying, unless we take to Aboriginal traditions such as one taking as much from the land as you need and making sure not to hamr it, we will be fine. But we suck, and there's too much profit in this. I blame money!

Well, money is made from trees... I suppose it makes sense to blame envriomental damage on money, taking that into account.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Mhmm, this is true to a form, but we're 'civilised' humans (and I use that word in a bad way). Last few times we took from the wold (fish excluded) we wiped out said animals. The dodo? Even where fishing goes, we collecting too many. Shark finning is screwing up the world in big ways... but Larenxis is probably the one to tell you more on that.

I'm saying, unless we take to Aboriginal traditions such as one taking as much from the land as you need and making sure not to hamr it, we will be fine. But we suck, and there's too much profit in this. I blame money!

Well, money is made from trees... I suppose it makes sense to blame envriomental damage on money, taking that into account.

Actually money, at least the Dollar, Is made mostly out of cotton, and is not derived from trees.

 

[WeedWorm]

Dont see it would do anything to the environment unless a few hundred thousand people (at least) suddenly became veggies.

 

[Insomniaku]

Cows produce a ton of methane which does adversely affect the environment, and anyone who says otherwise has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Sourcey [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm]

But will one person going veggie help? No, that's way too small of movement to have an impact. Would everyone going veggie help? You bet it would, but not everyone is willing to do that because they're too busy justifying what they're doing so that they can continue eating meat. By continuing to eat meat you're still being part of the problem. Sure, the meat industry isn't dying out because little old you stopped eating meat, but as more people do it, it does have an impact. You can say that it makes no difference what you do by the time it's in the store, but by continuing to purchase the meat and support the industry, guess how much you're doing to solve anything? Absolutely fucking nothing.

You're avatar is amazing, I seriously LOVE her.

 

[Insomniaku]

Well I don't think so because whether or not you choose to eat a cow it's still going to be slaughtered (unfortunately)... but technically speaking if you only ate veggies it would be more efficient because energy is transfered something like 10% each cycle it goes through... i dunno, it was a concept I couldn't quite grasp in Biology

 

[BBLIZZARD]

I'm a vegitarian, and all the soy products (artificial meat) come in cardboard and plastic, so it really isn't better for the enviroment. But a hardcore vegan who ate grass!! Now that would be awesome for the planet!

 

[Baneat]

Yes, it's better because less cows are bred. less methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced from farts therefore. Less pesticides and chemicals are used because they make less cows.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

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.

Prions.

You eat another human, you are consuming prions.. This ultimately leads to mental disorders.

 

[KenzS]

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.

Prions.

You eat another human, you are consuming prions.. This ultimately leads to mental disorders.

Aren't prions mutated proteins? like Mad Cow?

 

[PurpleRain]

If we stop eating them they will still exist. If we keep eating them they will definitely still exist. As long as they survive in any large population they will spew methane. So it matters not which side you take seeing as the vegesauruses don't have the guts to wipe them out, and the meat eaters want to keep things the way they are.

You see, if we keep eating them, they will keep being bred for us. If we stop, so will their breeding. Farmers can't make a loss, so they'll start to not make as many cows. Unless you mean kill every single cow on the planet I'm sorry, but I can't make out your point.

Mhmm, this is true to a form, but we're 'civilised' humans (and I use that word in a bad way). Last few times we took from the wold (fish excluded) we wiped out said animals. The dodo? Even where fishing goes, we collecting too many. Shark finning is screwing up the world in big ways... but Larenxis is probably the one to tell you more on that.

I'm saying, unless we take to Aboriginal traditions such as one taking as much from the land as you need and making sure not to hamr it, we will be fine. But we suck, and there's too much profit in this. I blame money!

Well, money is made from trees... I suppose it makes sense to blame envriomental damage on money, taking that into account.

Actually money, at least the Dollar, Is made mostly out of cotton, and is not derived from trees.

Yesh, and you know how unenvironmental those plants are? They guzzle water like crazy. If we stop cotton productions as well, that will be one good step. But this is going way off the rails I think.

 

[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!

Surely he can't be a vegetarian!

Also, all that fat and gristle? Ewww...

Oh,sorry,I meant eat each other,not just vegetarians.*Laughs Evilly*
Seriously,that's what I meant.As a joke.

 

[MBurner 93]

No. Plants produce oxygen. Animals produce carbon dioxide. I'm eating the problem! They're eating the SOLUTION!