Interactive: Reduce Meat Consumption to Tackle Climate Change

We eat every day to sustain ourselves on this earth. Different types of foods are found in the diet of human-being. Among the dietary components, meat is one of the indispensable food groups in our diet plan. Meat serving as a core source of protein in our daily diet menu. It helps to build muscle and other organs of the human body. It also helps to produce the immunoglobulin of our immune system. Simply, this information indicates meat has great importance for our body. But if we consider this issue from the environmental and physical point of view, we will be able to visualize the negative impact of meat consumption. Because excessive meat consumption causes climate change.

Nowadays climate change is the most discussed term on the globe. Some of the anthropogenic activities are badly fueling climate change. Meat consumption is one of them. Meat consumption contributed equally to alter the state of climate and human health as well. It is one of the greatest risk factors for different types of NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases) in the human body.

According to the Department of Livestock (DLS), “about 75.14 lakh metric tons of meat was produced in the year of 2018-2019 which is almost 2.54 lakh metric tons higher than the previous fiscal year (2017-18)”. On the other hand livestock population in Bangladesh is currently estimated to comprise 25.7 million cattle, 0.83 million buffaloes, 14.8 million goats, 1.9 million sheep, 118.7 million chickens, and 34.1 million ducks. The density of livestock has been increasing tremendously in the past two years. This trend clearly states that the amount of meat consumption and production is soaring day by day.

So let’s know the fact; How meat consumption causes climate change or global warming? There are several reasons behind this. Firstly, when it comes to cattle farming you need to cut down forests and trees to clear space for cattle ranching and to grow animal feed. It results in deforestation everywhere and we all know that deforestation is the biggest cause of global warming. Deforestation Healthy trees are indispensable for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Secondly, a huge amount of space is needed for cattle farming and it reduces the number of green creatures around the globe. As a result, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will be over the top. Then it helps to increase global warming. Thirdly, cattle farming also destroys wildlife by altering ecological and biodiversity balance. Which is necessary for our existence. Wildlife reduction will threaten our existence on the earth. Fourthly, meat consumption creates an opportunity for mutual contact between humans and animals which is very notorious for human health. Because three-quarters of new diseases come from animals and the nature of the disease was infectious. Deforestation, land grabbing, and animal feed production can produce pandemics like COVID-19. In this way, climate change may happen.

Finally, meat consumption is not an efficient way to produce food. Over a quarter area of land in the world is used as a graze or to grow food for farm animals. You will be astonished to know that 1kg of chicken meat takes 3.2kg of crops to produce. All these things put a conjugative effect to alter the atmospheric state of the globe which is ultimately known as climate change.

To fight climate change we ought to reduce meat consumption. If we eat less meat, the production of meat products will also be curtailed. Ultimately, the negative of meat consumption will be lesser. If everyone ate a plant-based diet, 75% less land use will lessen than we use today. That’s an area equivalent to the USA, China, Europe, and Australia mingled. This is how we can reduce excessive land use in meat-based food production. We need to be eating at least 70% less meat by 2030 to cut down on the climate crisis. By eating plant-based food we will get the right nutrition and our body will be active and healthy. On the contrary, less meat consumption will help to tackle climate change. So let’s act together to reduce meat consumption and to build a happy and healthier planet.

The writer is our Shampratik Deshkal contributor

To contact him: Email: [email protected]