Red meat production creates tons of greenhouse gas emissions and takes up massive amounts of land. Not so great for our planet. People forego eating meat for a variety of reasons. Some do it in an attempt to eat healthier meals while others make the shift because they think cows and pigs are simply cuter than they are delicious. Some might even switch over because they think it will help the planet. But what would happen if every single human decided to become a vegetarian? Would we be harming or helping our planet? It turns out, reducing our animal product intake (especially red meat) might not be such a terrible place to start. Red meat production, which includes all of the steps that go into supplying the animals that turn into hamburgers, takes a toll on the environment in the form of greenhouse gases and the land we use. “Red meat production has major impacts on almost every aspect of [the] environment,” says Walter Willett, a Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard. “The greenhouse gas production is probably one of the most serious and acute because it’s apparent that our planet is warming faster than anybody anticipated even […]
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