- [Narrator] Is it possible to be
a meat-eating environmentalist?
- I love the environment,
but I don't love the environment that much.
- So you think the taste of something
is worth the destruction it causes?
- [Man] Yeah.
- Avoiding meat and dairy is the biggest way
to reduce your environmental impact on the planet.
- Maybe choosing to skip the meat could make an impact.
- [Narrator] In June 2018,
the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, the IPCC,
released a landmark report.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
released its new report
which confirms the need to limit global warming
to well below two degrees Centigrade
and pursuing efforts toward limiting it
below 1.5 degrees Centigrade.
- [Narrator] The world had 12 years
to limit climate change catastrophe.
According to the world's leading scientists,
governments must work to limit global warming temperatures
to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Even half a degree more could worsen the risk of droughts,
rising sea levels, extreme heat, food insecurity,
and poverty for hundreds of millions of people
across the world.
- The report clearly states that the world
has already warmed by one degree Centigrade
due to human activity,
and, as a result, climate change is already
affecting people, ecosystems, and livelihoods
around the world.
- [Narrator] Insects, which are vital for crop pollination
and healthy ecosystems,
would be twice as likely to lose their habitat
at two degrees Celsius.
According to one study published
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
the sixth mass extinction is already underway.
A biological annihilation of wildlife over recent decades
is caused by humans
and threatens the survival of civilization.
"All signs point to evermore powerful
"assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades,
"painting a dismal picture of the future of life,
"including human life," said the report.
In order to prevent major environmental disaster,
the level of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions
would need to drop a staggering 45%
from 2010 levels by 2030,
finally reaching a net zero by 2050.
- A carbon-neutral future
is the only way we will inherit a planet
capable of sustaining life on earth as we know it.
- [Narrator] The report called for unprecedented changes
to all aspects of society
to prevent warming beyond this level.
- We are currently working on an IPCC special report
on climate change in land,
which will include the idea of food systems as a whole,
including the question of dietary changes
and the demand side.
And what is very clear there
is that there are lots of reasons other than climate change
for shifting diets.
- [Narrator] At this point in history,
atmospheric carbon dioxide, a type of greenhouse gas,
is at the highest level ever recorded.
The majority of greenhouse gas emissions
are caused by human activity,
including burning fossil fuels, agriculture, and landfills.
- Reality has a way of, you know,
hitting you in the nose if you're not paying attention.
And I think that the public
is starting to realize the science,
in part because it's indisputable.
- [Narrator] While we can all take steps
to reduce our individual carbon footprint,
such as taking public transportation,
opting for local produce, and buying fewer things,
does it make sense for an environmentalist to eat meat?
Carbon emissions from animal agriculture.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations,
the global livestock industries account
for 7.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year,
representing 14.5% of all human-caused
greenhouse gas emissions.
Cattle raised for meat and dairy, as well as manure,
are responsible for the majority of this,
representing 65% of livestock emissions.
This is divided between feed production and processing
and enteric fermentation, the digestive process in cattle.
According to the FAO,
this accounts for up to 45% of total emissions.
- So, the animals that can eat grass
have very unusual stomachs that have these bacteria
that are methanogenic in there,
and so they leak natural gas
both out the front and the back.
And so people have said, "Well, let's change the hay
"or throw some things in there."
Nobody knows how to get rid of...
- No one knows how to get cows to stop farting.
- Exactly, or burping.
- [Narrator] Manure storage and processing
represents 10% of emissions,
and the remainder can be attributed
to the processing and transportation of animal products.
In terms of animal products,
beef and milk cattle are responsible for the most emissions,
followed by pig meat, 9%,
chicken meat and eggs, 8%,
buffalo milk and meat, 8%,
and small ruminate milk and meat, 6%.
The remaining emissions come from other poultry species
and nonedible products.
- We know that our dietary choices make a big impact.
So, for example, if we talk about
high greenhouse gas emissions diets,
those are associated with meat consumption.
We know that, for example, beef and lamb
tend to be higher in greenhouse gas emissions
due to the way that livestock is produced.
- [Narrator] Marine fisheries are typically excluded
from food production emissions assessments,
but they have an impact too.
According to a 2018 study
published in the journal Nature Climate Change,
greenhouse gas emissions from the global fishing industry
grew by 28% between 1990 and 2011.
But there has been little increase in production.
The increase comes from crustacean fisheries,
which represent only 6% of all marine life caught
but are responsible for more than 1/5 of all emissions
due to the use of fuel-powered fishing vessels.
Deforestation and land use.
How much land does animal agriculture occupy?
According to the FAO,
26% of the planet's ice-free land is dedicated to livestock,
and 33% of cropland is dedicated to growing animal feed.
The global demand for meat
has quadrupled over the past 50 years
and we now produce about 320 million tons annually.
Demand is expected to increase by 73% by the year 2050.
Raising animals for meat is land-intensive.
Each year, 13 billion hectares of forest are cleared
to make room for animals or animal feed production.
This can be seen in the Amazon rainforest
where areas equating to more than 1 1/2 soccer fields
are being destroyed every minute of every day.
- [Woman] The Amazon is home to million of species,
and the biggest threat to the rainforest itself
is this one.
(animal grunts)
- [Translator] The situation here is completely backward.
This area should never have come under cultivation.
It's on a permanent nature conservation.
There shouldn't be any cattle here
and it should never have been deforested.
- [Narrator] Clearing land also contributes
to water availability, soil fertility,
biodiversity, and climate change.
- [Translator] Our main argument in favor of reforestation
is the protection of water sources.
What use is a cattle ranch
if you have no water on your land?
That's a strong argument to win them over.
- [Narrator] But we need not dedicate land
to raising animals.
Globally, there is enough cropland
to feed nine billion in 2050,
if the 40% of all crops grown for animals
were used for human consumption instead.
Water use.
Animal agriculture uses around 1/3
of the world's fresh water,
while 700 million people suffer from water scarcity.
By 2025, that number is expected to reach 1.8 billion.
According to a study published by the UNESCO IHE,
Institute for Water Education,
global animal production requires about
2,422 cubic gigameters of water annually.
Beef cattle use up 1/3 of this,
and dairy cows require another 19%.
- [Man] What about wasted water?
It takes nearly 2,000 gallons to produce one pound of beef.
Compare that to broccoli and cauliflower.
The lowly legumes require just 34 gallons a pound.
- [Narrator] Most of the total water footprint
used by animal agriculture is used to grow feed crops.
Ocean dead zones and acidification.
The world's oceans suffer
because of animal agriculture as well.
Runoff from animal agriculture, like manure and fertilizer,
has been linked to ocean dead zones,
oxygen-depleted hypoxic areas of the ocean
where little or not life can survive.
- But the one that contributes the most
or puts in the largest portion of the load
is agricultural runoff.
- The bacteria can suck all the oxygen out of the water,
creating a dead zone where nothing can grow,
which sets up a chain reaction that's devastating
for anything living in or near the water.
But the real problem is the toxins
some types of blooms can create,
which are poisonous and even deadly
for fish, wildlife, humans, and pets.
- [Narrator] Ocean dead zones have roughly doubled
each decade since the 1960s.
Today there are around 400 dead zones in the world.
The largest is a Florida-sized area in the Arabian Sea.
The second largest is in the Gulf of Mexico
and is on average 6,500 square miles in size.
When excess nutrients from manure and fertilizer
enter the oceans,
they spark an algal explosion.
Phytoplankton, a microscopic algae that loves nutrients
like nitrogen and phosphorus,
float near the water surface, absorbing the sunlight.
Blooms consisting of phytoplankton
can be seen via satellite.
Zooplankton consume the phytoplankton,
which are then eaten by small fish.
The rapid increase in algae leads to higher levels
of animal waste in the water,
which falls to the ocean floor.
The bacterial decomposition uses up oxygen,
which is vital to help the ocean ecosystems.
This may be exacerbated by warming temperatures.
Warm water carries less oxygen than cool water.
A January 2019 report published in the journal Science
found that the oceans are warming 40% faster
than previously thoughts.
As oxygen depletes,
smaller animals like snails, crabs, and fish
will move away,
making it harder for larger fish to find food.
Immobile creatures die off.
Ocean acidification, the ongoing decrease in the water's pH
caused by uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
is another consequence of climate change.
Ocean acidification has been linked
to the bleaching of Florida's coral reefs.
Aleck Wang, professor of marine chemistry
at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute,
says the ocean's pH levels "are expected to double
"by the end of the century."
This will kill of marine life,
including oysters, corals, and plankton,
drastically affecting the food chain.
But what about?
If you were to google tips for being more eco-friendly,
you would probably find tips like cutting back on plastic,
taking shorter showers, or buying grass-fed beef.
But cutting out animal products makes a much bigger impact.
On average, it takes 1,800 gallons of water
to produce one pound of meat.
Using that, you could take 104 showers
or do 60 loads of laundry.
- Meat takes an enormous toll on naturally resources
in the environment.
- Under the current system, it's not sustainable.
It has to change.
- [Narrator] Grass-fed beef is framed as more sustainable
than conventional beef,
but according to a study
published in the journal Environmental Research Letters,
if the US wanted to switch to a 100% grass-fed beef system,
it would require a 33% increase in the national cattle herd.
And current pastureland can only support
27% of the current beef supply.
The research concludes
that only reductions in beef consumption
can guarantee reductions in the environmental impact
of US food systems.
What about small family farms?
While they do exist, it's only in very small numbers.
An estimated 99% of all animal products
are sourced from factory farms.
- Open wounds, pressure sores, infections,
bleeding gums from biting the bars so much.
And these animals aren't even being cared for
with individualized veterinary attention.
- [Narrator] Even if you avoid beef
and go for pork, chicken, lamb,
or even a vegetarian diet,
you're not saving as much water
as you could by eating vegan.
Animal products have a much larger carbon footprint
compared to crops.
- Some diets require more land and water
and lead to higher emissions than others.
For example, diets that are high
in grains, nuts, and vegetables
have a lower carbon footprint
than those that are high in meat,
and they lead to better health outcomes.
- [Narrator] As for sustainable seafood,
the labeling can be deceptive.
The Marine Stewardship Council is known for its blue label
which indicates that a fishery
has met certain sustainability standards.
But investigations into MSC certified labels
have revealed that the certified sustainable label
can be deceptive because it applies to regions.
A fishery may use ocean-friendly fishing methods in one area
and trawling in another.
Trawling is a practice notorious for causing bycatch,
a term that describes when unintended species
are captured along with the target fish.
The MSC has even certified some fisheries
that work in regions where populations are at risk.
- What we've been trying to do is
prove scientifically and by visual
the scale of the illegal fishing in this area,
which we know has been going on for a long, long time.
- [Narrator] Some might argue that they do their part
by cutting down on carbon emissions from transportation,
like buying an electric car, carpooling, cycling,
or using public transit.
But changing the way we eat is more effective.
The sustainability of a plant-based diet.
How sustainable is a plant-based diet?
Animal products generally have a larger footprint
compared to crops.
For example, the average water footprint per calorie of beef
is 20 times larger than that of cereals
and starchy roots,
and six times larger than pulses.
Beef creates up to 105 kilograms of greenhouse gases
to make 100 grams of meat,
while tofu produces less than 3.5 kilograms
to make the same amount of food.
The Beyond Burger,
a plant-based patty made from pea protein.
- That patty is 100% plant-based protein.
- [Narrator] Generates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions
and requires 46% less energy, 99% less water,
and 93% less land compared to a beef patty.
The water footprint per gram of protein
for milk, eggs, and chicken
is 1.5 times larger than pulses.
According to an Oxford University study,
producing one glass of cow's milk
has at least three times the environmental impact
of plant-based milk.
In terms of carbon footprints,
a San Francisco-based food tech company, Just,
makes a vegan egg using mung beans.
It uses 77% less surface and ground water
and emits 40% fewer carbon emissions
compared to conventional eggs.
- I eat eggs every day and I didn't even notice.
- Yeah. - Wow.
- Wow, it tastes like real, yeah.
It tastes and feels like real egg.
- [Narrator] While many experts have acknowledged
that some parts of the world
still rely on animal agriculture,
in the West, plant-based ingredients are readily available.
While every step toward reducing your carbon footprint
is a good one,
a 2018 Oxford study found that adopting a plant-based diet
is the single biggest way to reduce your carbon footprint.
With 10 years left to make a change
before global warming is past the point of no return,
why not start with your plate?
That's it for today.
Are you an environmentalist?
Let us know in the comments below.
As always, remember to subscribe
and hit the notification bell.
New videos every Tuesday and Friday.
(gentle music)