On January 6th, 2021, we received a piece of good news from the World Metrological Organization (WMO) stating "the deepest ozone hole has closed after 40 years." Yay!
The fact is, we all assume that fossil fuels, consuming energy, and big industries are causing global warming and climate change issues. The animal industry is a less talked about culprit in climate change.
But how?
You may be surprised how an innocent creature like a cow is helping to destroy the environment. Here are a few facts you must know how cattle are doing just that...
1. Cows are the largest methane producers.
Livestock is responsible for producing 14% of greenhouse gasses. These cattle emit the dangerous global warming gas known as "Methane". Methane is the second deadliest gas after Carbon Dioxide.
BBC's future blog states: "Livestock are responsible for burping the methane equivalent of 3.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually."
2. Hamburger = global warming.
On average, Americans consume approximately 50 billion burgers per year. As more and more cattle are reared, water is ruined, as the emission of carbon dioxide and methane increases.
How vegetarian food is helping to fix the issue...
Recently, we read a report from carbonbrief.org about how animal-based foods are leaving a larger carbon footprint. We were surprised after seeing the information on how much destruction is caused by the production of meat.
To help fix this issue, you don't have to stop breeding cattle. Instead, you can change your diet to food that produces lower carbon emissions. According to the research, changing our diets could reduce the number of greenhouse gasses by 28%. We should try to eat foods with a lower carbon footprint, such as nuts, citrus, peas, potatoes, onions, root vegetables, and tomatoes.
There are some foods we MUST eat, but there are other foods we eat but have the choice to avoid.
At Mylapore Express, we stand to do our part by our recycling methods, as well as serve more vegetarian food!