
Plant-based diet can fight climate change – UN - dustinmoris
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49238749
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jefflombardjr
> They said that more people could be fed using less land if individuals cut
> down on eating meat.

This.

These articles are not calling for full vegetarianism/veganism. This is really
quite doable. You really don't need meat with every single meal.

Instead of eating meat with every meal, I try to limit chicken/salmon to once
or twice a day, and red meat to once or twice a week. I feel better too. I
don't recommend eating those nasty vegan patties... they are so processed. If
you're able to grow a victory garden [0] and/or focus on eating more fresh
fruits and vegetables - it's better for the environment and your health.

[0]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden)

~~~
majkinetor
> You really don't need meat with every single meal.

That is some weird BS. I definitely don't need meat every single meal but I
need animal every single meal - meat or liver or eggs or milk or whatever, AND
meat every single day.

Given that plants are more often evil then not (think allergy, natural
pesticides etc), I don't really want to trade my health and fight the nature
of this universe we live in for the dubious potential benefit on climate
change.

I very much doubt its better for environment. There are so many contra
arguments that I don't need to repeat those here.

~~~
colobas
In what sense do you mean you "need animal every single meal"? "Need" as in
"want really bad, can't live without it", or "need" as in "my body won't
function properly without it"?

Also, can you give some examples of the contra-arguments you mentioned?

Thanks

~~~
majkinetor
In a sense that I need to feel great and healthy. I can live without anything
basically, can live on supplements in extreme but do I want to ? No.

Judging from the extreme levels of body logging in previous 10 years, and from
the fact that I had some sort of trouble always prior to eating animals as
main thing, I can say with confidence that all my metrics improved - I have
better labs, fitness and health today then when I was 20 years younger.

I eat 4 eggs and bacon every breakfast in last 10 years.

Example of contra-arguments: killing animals that don't care about your farm
or work (lots of small animals, but some are basically extinct like orangutans
cuz of palm oil stuff), poisoning environment with monoculture and Roundup,
taxing the healthcare system and other people because you can't really live on
plants without multiple deficiencies and so on...

You can't really fight the universe, that is the main point. You are not made
to eat plants, our digestive structure and acid barrier tells that story for
sure. Of course, we are all biochemically unique so I totally understand that
there are incompatible people but those are exceptions and rules are pretty
clear.

I am against animal suffering but animals eating other animals and plants
being just another living creature and not divine intervention to provide food
for other living creatures is how this universe functions.

~~~
jefflombardjr
> You are not made to eat plants

This is completely false, please stop. We're omnivores:

[https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/23/how-humans-
evo...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/23/how-humans-evolved-to-
be-natural-omnivores/#11f2482e7af5)

McArdle, John. "Humans are Omnivores". Vegetarian Resource Group. Retrieved 6
October 2013.

Robert E. C. Wildman; Denis M. Medeiros (2000). Advanced Human Nutrition. CRC
Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0849385667. Retrieved 6 October 2013.

Robert Mari Womack (2010). The Anthropology of Health and Healing. Rowman &
Littlefield. p. 243. ISBN 978-0759110441. Retrieved 6 October 2013.

~~~
majkinetor
OK, let me rephrase - we are not made to eat plants completely or even
dominantly. pH of our acid barrier is consistent with this among other thing.

BTW, Vegetarian Resource Group doesn't sound like conflict of interest at
all... :S

Anyway, no amount of authority will beat my personal experience. I ate plants,
a lot, for decades. Now I don't that much (only some vegetables and nuts). I
feel and look much better in previous decade (so not placebo). Period for me.
YMMV.

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maxencecornet
If you really want to have an impact while still eating meat, just stop eating
beef altogether

The amount of food and water needed to produce 1kg of beef meat is just insane

Eat poultry or fish instead

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio)

>Cattle is the worst at something like 15:1. Aquaculture, specifically tilapia
and catfish, is good at under 2:1

~~~
mytailorisrich
The starting point they use for fish is the wild fish caught to feed them. The
real impact is thus probably not better than cattle's.

Cattle is sometimes bred extensively on land not suited for agriculture and
the only way to turn grass into food. It's not all bad.

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mns
Shouldn't this be more about having a diet based on local foods rather than
just be vegetarian/vegan? I'm saying this after seeing a couple of
documentaries on german tv where they were showing the impact of almond and
avocado "crops" in North and South America. It's crazy how much water and
terrain needs to be used and de-forested for these things, I know avocado is
seen as a super-food and everybody is crazy bout it now, same with almond
milk/drinks, but still, looking at a lot of the vegan options that we have
here, you look in your plate and see that more than half of the ingredients
from a whatever bowl or vegan lunch are brought to you half way around the
globe from a country where they destroyed forests and natural environments
just so you can enjoy these things.

~~~
JamesLefrere
No, it shouldn't. The majority of the deforestation happening now (e.g. in
Brazil) is to raise cattle, or to produce feed such as soybeans for farmed
animals; the water for almonds and avocado trees pales in comparison to these
activities, as do food miles.

A vegan diet saves much more than a carnist one does, even if it's more local;
here in Europe, we have sheep deserts (e.g. Iceland, much of UK) that can be
rewilded if more people adopt a vegan diet.

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paulhallett
It's always worth remembering that you can have an impact and still eat red
meat. Cutting out meat on two or three days a week makes an impact. Most of my
non-veggie friends treat meat like a treat, and only eat it on weekends.

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majkinetor
Plant based diet can also fight your good health too...

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MperorM
and more importantly, a plant-based diet will significantly reduce the
suffering of sentient life.

