Vegetarianism : A Moral Debate

This article discusses how the consumption and production of meat and dairy is one of leading causes of habitat destruction and quick action needs to be taken to preserve biodiversity. The article analyzes the meat-eating trends in tropical regions of America, Asia, and Africa. It concludes that meat production rates are rapidly increasing, underlying that a 30-50% increase in the land will be needed by 2050 if these patterns continue. Bushmeat consumption in Africa and livestock consumption in China are outlined as special concerns. The main solution proposed is reforming the livestock industry by reducing demand and waste, replacing ecologically inefficient protein sources with better alternatives such as plants or fish, and reintegrate modern livestock production

Vegetarianism is a custom practiced in six out of the seven continents and has become more popular over the years. Vegetarianism can be defined as the exclusion of animal products such as meat and fish from one’s diet. Dairy products and eggs are often times excluded as well. Although there are many reasons one may decide to become a Vegetarian or follow such a code of ethics, the most common include: moral, religious or health reasons.

One of the biggest arguments for most people that are vegetarian is that eating meat is not necessary for human survival or for their health. Some vegetarians find that slaughtering animals solely for the purpose of humans to eat meat is wrong and not justifiable. Most vegetarians do not eat meat due to the practises involved in the production and slaughtering of animals citing concerns about

For years vegetarian and vegan diets have been gaining popularity. This rise in popularity is due largely to the belief that a vegetarian diet has numerous health benefits and the animals being raised to be slaughtered are not being treated humanely. These are both good reasons for adopting a meat-free lifestyle, but there is an even more pressing reason. The current rate of meat consumptions, especially in developed nations, is consuming natural resources at a rate that is not sustainable. The amount of resources such as land, water, and crops consumed to support meat production is staggering. In addition to the resource consumption, meat production is also contributing to critical global environmental issues such as deforestation and ozone depletion.

There is much controversy and hypocrisy when it comes to animals. I, along with thousands of others, am part of the hypocrisy. I squirm and feel a deep sadness when I hear or see animals being abused, yet I am a meat-eater. I have learned that we all have different opinions and taste and we can not force others to change their ways. There will always be people, like me, perhaps, who will continue to eat meat and use animal products because that is what to us is food and normality. There are many ways to solutionize this; Become vegan or vegetarian, do protests and show others the suffering animals are put through, and/or simply let those who do not choose veganism to be themselves.

Vegetarianism has been a hot topic of discussion lately, and if becoming one should be mandatory or not. Vegetarianism is a diet choice of eating absolutely no meat, fish, or poultry. It can be a healthy and environmentally friendly decision, but vegetarianism is not for everyone. It can be hard for people to completely cut themselves off from eating meat. However, humans can slim down on meat to help the environment and live a healthier, more balanced lifestyle with smaller portions. “Opportunities for higher efficiency can be found all along the meat production–consumption chain” (Smil). However, mass meat production can be harmful to the land. Speaking on meat production, Smil quotes “This

Many people question the ethics of the meat industry as they face the challenges of production and quality to serve our growing population. As consumers become more informed on the industry, new data is being released to show the health benefits of animal protein in the human diet. Based upon this new data, many people are questioning whether they should cut meat out of their diet completely and are looking to find a way to eat meat as ethically as possible. For some concerned with the ethics of eating meat it strictly comes down to killing animals, but it can also start with how the animals are treated. While there is no way to make any industry completely ethical, there are ways to make informed choices which can lead to a more ethical approach to the industry and its consumers. As demand increases and society becomes more informed on the meat industry, people are finding that there are ways to consume meat ethically.

Statistics derived from the United States Department of Agriculture show that approximately 10 billion animals raised each year are killed for food in the United States. The toll taken to the environment by mass meat production and the consumption of animal products is never considered. No one to think about how many resources needed to produce enough meat to cater to excessive consumption of animal products all over the world. These animals need to eat and drink. Feeding 10 billion animals in the United States cost more than feeding the whole world. Statistics from the UN show that raising and feeding animals uses approximately 30% of the land mass (Kallen, 2006).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released, in 2006, a publication which looked over the environmental impact of livestock on the planet. The conclusions found from that report are that up to 70% of grazing land is considered degraded, livestock contributes in CO2 approximately 18% of the climate change, and livestock accounts for about 37% of methane emissions.As we continue to find out the extent of the effects of these things, we must take these things into consideration. Presently, however, the conclusions found from this report among others the impact on the environment is substantial and at unsustainable levels for the near and far future.

Traditionally, the individuals of the Western culture find eating meat perfectly acceptable and healthy. It wasn’t until relatively recently that a movement began to gain momentum within small groups of society to promote the widespread halt of all carnivorous activity by humans. People who support this movement and choose to live without the use of animal products of any kind are called total vegans. An analysis of the reasons behind veganism reveals two main factors contributing to the life-altering decision to become a total vegan: moral and ethical values primarily regarding animal welfare and health concerns involved in the consumption of red meat.

“The assumption that animals are without rights, and the illusion that their treatment has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."(Schopenhauer). I always wondered why some people are not so drawn to the consumption of meat and fed up with only one thought about it. Why so many people loathe of blood, and why so few people can easily kill and be slaughter animal, until they just get used to it? This reaction should say something about the most important moments in the code, which was programmed in the human psyche. Realization the necessity of refraining from meat is especially difficult because people consume it for a long time,

As we can now observe, vegetarianism has become something fashionable, and the number of people who reject eating meat is constantly increasing. In Britain, for instance, over 5 million people have done it so far. It is obviously connected with the recent animal diseases, but this tendency is likely to spread on the other regions of the world. However, it is not only a fashion or fear of illnesses. I myself became a vegetarian about 2 years ago, and I can see a number of reasons why people should stop eating meat. They are mainly of ethic, economic and health type. Those who think in an ecological way should also be aware of how this meat consumption ruins our environment. I don’t have an intention

Global meat production rose to a new peak of 308.5 million tons in 2013, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a more than fourfold increase over the last five decades. Even more startlingly, meat production has grown 25-fold since 1800 (Horrigan, Lawerence &Walker, 2002). Globally, agriculture utilizes nearly 70 per cent of the world 's available freshwater. One-third of that percentage is used to grow grains to feed to livestock (ECOS, 2014). While the global meat industry provides food and a livelihood for billions of people, it also has significant environmental and health consequences for the planet. Over half of the water used in meat production

Consumption of meat by humans creates several problems. First and foremost, raising animals for food compromises the environment. For example, it takes a large amount of natural resources to sustain the meat industry. The use of water, land, and food to raise animals for human consumption is not an efficient use of our limited resources. In contrast, it is more efficient to feed humans directly than to use land, food, and water to feed animals to be used as food. There are shortages of fertile land, clean water, and food in several third world countries. Many of these countries’ resources are allocated to produce feed for animals in developed countries around the world. As a result, the citizens of these countries are stricken with water and food shortages, while their crops are feeding cattle from across the globe. However, this problem can be solved by adopting a vegan diet. The vegan diet will allow a more efficient use of resources that in turn can be used to feed starving men, women, and children throughout the world. Consequently, more people in the world could be fed if the land used to grow feed for animals was used to grow food for humans.

A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, mainly for moral, religious, or health reasons. In recent years, the transition to a vegetarianism lifestyle has become like just another fad diet. However, becoming a vegetarian or just overall reducing meat consumption is particularly beneficial to one’s longevity. So, vegetarianism should not be looked at as just another trend, but, instead as a positive change to one’s lifestyle. Becoming a vegetarian lessens the morality of a person by decreasing their susceptibly to diseases, i.e.; heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. The vegetarian lifestyle is not only advantageous to humans but to animals and the environment as well. Thus, the shift to vegetarianism is encouraged for an improved wellbeing and planet altogether.