sebastian gutierrez de velasco m. | Communicating Chemistry 2018W110

Vegetarian diets are not only healthy for people, but for the planet also! M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, among various scientist’s state that a reduction of meat consumption in our diets have a significant impact on global warming, since about 25% of climate change is attributed to food and the choices we make, according to the UN IPCC fifth assessment report, 2014.

Climate change raises concerns internationally, it is the crisis of the 21^st century that could lead to disastrous consequences in the future. Therefore, international community constantly collaborates to mitigate green house gas emissions (GHG emissions), These are gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) that their presence essentially causes global warming.

Which gases are green house gasses and what does their chemical structure look like. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

A brief explanation of how green house gasses affect global warming. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

The last important agreement was the Paris accords in November of 2016, where government officials stated to reduce 55% of GHG emissions. Climate change is an overwhelming issue and people might think that to solve this problem, the choice remains within government officials and multinational companies. But there is something we can do to tackle climate change.

Scientists like Ben Houlton from UC Davis says that people’s dietary choices, have an impact on climate change, specifically when consuming meat. Reducing meat consumption or switching from red meats, like beef and pork, to poultry and fish are great ways to reduce GHG emissions and help save the planet.

Say for example, that juicy serving of beef that you crave at a good summer barbecue, that steak alone takes on average 330g of CO₂ to produce. That is the same emission a car would give off by driving for 3 miles. Deciding to switch that serving of beef for chicken reduces carbon emissions 6-fold, because chicken meat produces 52g of CO₂average. Switching for a fish or vegetable serving instead, reduces the carbon impact substantially.

According to the UN FAO, 2013 and UN IPCC, 2014, livestock and transportation contribute equally to climate change by producing equal GHG emissions. This is because livestock such as cows, pigs, lamb and chickens etc. produce significant amounts of methane (CH₄).

Animals give off methane through their excrement and flatulence, animals in general are gassy! Why do animals produce methane? Because it results from chemical reactions when breaking down food, even humans produce methane. The issue with methane is, that it is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide according to M. Sanjayan.

relative emissions of CO2 in livestock. Cattle are the main contributor to the sector’s emissions with about 5.0 gigatonnes CO2-eq, which represents about 62 percent of sector’s emissions. -Courtesy of FAO

There are several other indirect factors harming the planet, that are caused by meat consumption. For example, livestock agriculture promotes deforestation, because it takes space to raise livestock, leading to land clearance. This means double trouble, on one hand we increase GHG emissions by raising more animals, and on the other we cut down trees that help fight global warming by converting CO₂ to oxygen by photosynthesis.

The Consequences of going entirely vegetarian. (Blog 3C)

However, meat reduction doesn’t seem to benefit Canada and could be a threat to the life style of many full-time hard-working Canadians. In Context, Canada is one of the strongest exporters of red meat in the world. In 2017 the beef cattle industry contributed $17.2 billion to Canadian GDP, providing an amazing economic contribution.

Also, the dairy sector sustains 215,000 full-time equivalent jobs in rural communities and contributes to $18.9B to Canada’s GDP. It is the top 2 agricultural commodities in 7 out of the 10 provinces. Therefore livestock is an important industry for the country!

Livestock in Canada is an ideal resource to exploit, because much of Canada’s land is not suitable for crops due to the terrain, soil nutrients and weather. Only 7.3% of the country’s total land is agricultural. Therefore, livestock is the best way to make use of the land that can’t afford any vegetable products. It raises the question, what happens to the farmers since they cannot transition to growing vegetables with the same land? Do they lose their jobs without a solution?

Since losing an important economic contributor would decrease government economic resources, other government funded programs like health care, retirement, research and many more would suffer. Lowering the quality of life then becomes a nation-wide problem.

Personally, I believe we could all benefit from reducing our meat consumption. Our current food systems could benefit by diversifying from monoculture and heavy livestock tendencies. However, it is undeniable that our lives in Canada are significantly dependent on the livestock industry in several ways. Canada is a resource-based country and much of our wealth unfortunately comes from exploiting resources. Balance always seems to be key, not everyone should become vegan at once, but also, don’t have a cow! Be mindful with what you eat.

For a detailed summary and more information check out this video made with M. Sanjayan!