A Plant-Based Diet Can Help Save the Planet

by Eleanor Matthews

We are in a climate change crisis and no one is doing much about it! Although the UK has committed to reaching zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 this factor alone is no way near enough to prevent rising above the threshold of 1.5 degrees which is deemed to be dangerous. Apathy has increased drastically over recent years and people will watch something about climate change on television, think about it for a few minutes and then return to their spaghetti bolognaise, using the excuse that what is one little change to their life going to make in the grand scheme of things. All of the facts are telling us that reducing meat and dairy is the best way to save the planet, so why is nobody listening?

Despite the fact that we are more aware of the harm our actions can cause thanks to the media, the Earth's temperature is increasing at nearly double the rate it was 50years ago. Climate change could be irreversible by 2030. This statement is meant to shock, it means the coral reef would be completely eradicated, a huge decrease in biodiversity would occur, there would be a refugee crisis of 2 million and some low lying islands would be completely overrun by flooding amongst many other disasters. These facts are horrifying and will happen within our lives if we do nothing to attempt to hinder them. We are currently losing one thousand times the normal rate of species with dozens of species going extinct every day (the normal should be 5 species lost per year). So, all this disaster may seem drastic, but what can we actually do about it? Well switching to energy saving lightbulbs might not be enough says new Oxford study. All the science is telling us to reduce our meat and dairy and essentially, go vegan! This would cut the carbon emissions of the uk by 70%, and even vegetarianism would still make a bold impact at 60%. The researchers at oxford have stated that cutting meat and dairy would reduce emissions 73% worldwide which would slow down climate change dramatically. It would also reduce global farmland usage by 75% which would provide more space for species to flourish, reducing the extinction rate. Just last year, we lost the northern white rhino amongst a multitude of animals that may have been saved if we could reduce the speed of climate change, and by 2050, we could lose 50% of all of the worlds species.

However, I have never met a meat eater who could be convinced to completely drop their eating habits instantly, the stigma attached veganism is strong despite the fact that vegan food is delicious (I promise!) Some would suggest that flexitarianism is instead the way forward which is a significantly more achievable goal to the majority of the public.

Research published in the science journal Nature reports that, compared to baseline projections for 2050, moving to a more plant-based flexitarian diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 52 per cent. If everyone ate less meat it would reduce or eliminate the need for intensive animal farming (both cruel and environmentally detrimental), which has a high impact on the environment. Althiugj there is an argument for the fact that some low-impact, more sustainably produced meat can create less greenhouse gas than coffee or cocoa beans produced as a result of deforestation, the vast majority of meat that we buy is not reared in this way and buying free range can actually be worse for the environment.

Despite my arguments. cattle farming could actually help to reduce soil erosion and carbon emissions. It is thought that cow dung, when spread across fields (abiding by Defra’s rules), adds nutrients and microbes to soil and locks in carbon, therefore reducing the need for additional fertilisers. When you consider that there is three times more carbon in the soil than in the atmosphere, this could make a big difference. These factors are convincing and show that flexitarianism is likely to be a sustainable, long-term choice for many people, however the relatively small benefits of eating meat and completely outweighed by the hugely positive effect that not eating animal products can have. We must also consider that flexitarianism is defined as eating meat less regularly, which is particularly subjective and could suggest having one plant based meal a fortnight to being veggie almost every day. Though arguments for flexitarianism are still valid, I believe that the more vegans in this world, the better! It can increase health as meat and dairy production is responsible for 60% of agriculture’s green house gas emissions whilst its products provide only 18% of the calories and 37% of the protein. Generally, if you eat more veg and natural plant proteins, you can not only save the planet, but eat more due to the lower calories and improve your health. Although choice may be limited, if there is more demand, companies will comply, we have seen this in the introduction of vegan menus throughout the country such as in BYRON, a restaurant purely based on burgers which now serves vegan and vegetarian options (which I would highly recommend). I predict that In 50 years, eating meat will become an action like smoking, technically legal but generally frowned upon due to its horrible consequences and connotations of cruelty, but until then, do your bit to save our planet and eat more veggies!

As I write this article, I can’t help but acknowledge the hypocrisy of my statements as I have been a vegetarian for years, but have only recently become almost completely plant based apart from an occasional taste of a birthday cake for example, however, even if you are not going to become a plant based vegan activist after my article, I urge you to try and eat less meat, introduce a meat free Monday in your house, try a mushroom burger instead of a meat one and please be conscious that the planet that we take for granted today will not be the planet we know in 25 years if we keep abusing it. In our lifetimes, we may see the consequences of our actions.

I have also included some of my favourite cheap and easy vegan meal recipes in this article as I hope that I can encourage at least one person out there to choose a vegan meal over a meat one a little more regularly.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/food/2019/apr/20/four-vegan-meals-for-a-pound-singapore-miguel-barclay

The Singapore noodles are a personal favourite.