The Truth behind MEAT. It is not about religion - it is about caring for the environment, about...

The The TruthTruth behind behind

MEATMEAT

It is not about religion -It is not about religion -it is about it is about caring for caring for the environment,the environment, about about loving yourself, your loving yourself, your children and animals.children and animals.

Once you know the Once you know the

real cost of meat, would real cost of meat, would

you still have the same you still have the same

appetite for it?appetite for it?

The real The real COSTCOST of of Meat eatingMeat eating

Our ForestsOur Forests

Rainforests are burned to make room for cattle grazing and growing crops for animal feed.

Rainforests are vital to all lives on Earth, however…

• 70 % 70 % of Amazon forests have been turned over to grazing land or to grow soybeans to feed to cattle and chicken.1 • An area of rainforest the size of

7 football fields7 football fields is destroyed EVERY EVERY MINUTEMINUTE to make room for grazing cattle.2• 100 species become extinct every day100 species become extinct every day

due to tropical deforestation.3

• The Livestock sector occupies 30% of the 30% of the land surfaceland surface.2

• 80% of the agricultural land in the US 80% of the agricultural land in the US are used to raise animals to raise animals for food4, only 7%only 7% are used for growing plant foods for humansfor humans..5

• In the same time span, the same amount of land can produce6:

1 kg of meat1 kg of meat 160 kg of potatoes 160 kg of potatoes 200 kg of tomatoes 200 kg of tomatoes

Our LandOur Land

Our ClimateOur Climate• Livestock generates 18%18% of greenhouse gas

emissions, more than all forms of transportation combined (13.5%). It is the NUMBER ONE NUMBER ONE source of human-caused methane (37%), nitrous oxide (65%)2. Global warming causes rising sea levels, serious natural disasters, food shortage, etc.

• 64% of ammonia 64% of ammonia emissions originate in livestock production2 and contribute to AIR, SOIL AND WATER POLLUTION, ACID RAIN and damage to the OZONE LAYER.

Ammonia contributes significantly to acid rain, which can cause a mass killing to trees, aquatic animals, and has

significant impacts on freshwaters, soils and human health. 

• Fruits, vegetables and grains require 95% less95% less raw materials to produce and can provide a complete, nutritious diet7. • The same amounts of fuel can produce

1 hamburger 1 hamburger or 27 soy burgers27 soy burgers..8

• In 2002, more than 1/3 of all fossil fuels more than 1/3 of all fossil fuels produced in the U.S. are used to raise animals for food.9

Our EnergyOur Energy

• More than 70% More than 70% of the cereal crop produced in developed countries is fed to animals raised for food.10

• At least 80% At least 80% of the world’s soybean crop and more than 50% more than 50% of all corn go to global livestock.10

• It takes 13 kg of grain 13 kg of grain to produce only 1 kg of beef1 kg of beef.11

Our FoodOur Food

• 820 million hungry people 820 million hungry people in developing countries go to bed hungry every night.13

• Every Every 55 seconds a child dies of starvation seconds a child dies of starvation.13

• In the U.S., food eaten by livestock could feed 1.3 billion people1.3 billion people.14 In the UK, food for livestock can feed 250 million people.15

• If Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%, by 10%, it would free 12,000,000 tons of grain - enough to feed 60,000,000 people.60,000,000 people.1414

Our LivesOur Lives

The agriculture sector use nearly 70% 70% of world’s precious freshwater12, within which the heaviest the heaviest water use is by the animalswater use is by the animals we raise for meat.5

To produceTo produce

Our WaterOur Water

1 pound of lettuce

it takes19

23 gallons of water 1 pound of wheat 25 gallons of water 1 pound of apples 49 gallons of water 1 pound of chicken

815815 gallons of water

1 pound of pork 1,6301,630 gallons of water 1 pound of beef 5,214 5,214 gallons of water

• Globally, livestock and poultry industry continually produce billions of tons of manure, which contain a considerable amount of nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium), drug residues, heavy metals and pathogens.17

• Animal waste often seep from lagoons and spray fields into groundwater or accumulate in the soil, pose serious threats to human health and the environment.

Our EnvironmentOur Environment

• During the past 50 years, worldwide meat production has increased fivefold.fivefold.1

• 56 billion land animals 56 billion land animals are slaughtered globally for human consumption per year, and it is expected to double by 2050.10

• In the U.S. alone, more than 9 billions more than 9 billions chickenschickens are raised for flesh every year, a million killed each hour.a million killed each hour. 18

Our AnimalsOur Animals

• 90% of large fish populations 90% of large fish populations have been exterminatedexterminated in the past 50 years.20

• Modern fishing method, such as “bottom trawling” is destroying our ocean floor and destroying our ocean floor and emptying our ocean.emptying our ocean.

• THE WORLD WILL RUN OUT OF SEAFOOD THE WORLD WILL RUN OUT OF SEAFOOD BY 2048 BY 2048 if steep declines in marine species continue at current rates.21

Our Ocean EcosystemsOur Ocean Ecosystems

• The meat, dairy products, fish, and eggs in the market today are loaded with bacteria, loaded with bacteria, antibiotics, dioxins, hormones, and other antibiotics, dioxins, hormones, and other toxinstoxins that can cause serious health problems in humans.

• A meat-based diet is the main source of many diseases, such as heart disease, heart disease, high blood high blood pressure, diabetes, pressure, diabetes, cancer, strokes, obesity, cancer, strokes, obesity, bird flu, mad cow disease, pig's disease, bird flu, mad cow disease, pig's disease, shellfish poisoning, shellfish poisoning, osteoporosisosteoporosis, etc.

Our HealthOur Health

We, as loving and We, as loving and intelligent intelligent human beings, human beings, forget and ignoreforget and ignore thatthat whenever we eat a piece of whenever we eat a piece of meat, an lovable and sensitive meat, an lovable and sensitive being had suffered the fear of being had suffered the fear of being slaughtered and ceased being slaughtered and ceased to breathe, to breathe, because of us.because of us.

Our ConscienceOur Conscience

Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinHollywood actor & award-winning producer; environmentalist & animal-right’s activist

“Every time we sit down to eat, we make a choice. Please choose vegetarianism.

Do it for animals.Do it for the environment.And do it for your health.”

Go Veg Go Veg Be Green Be Green

Save the EarthSave the Earth

Links recommendedLinks recommended:

Supreme Master TelevisionSupreme Master TelevisionThe most loving, constructive and noble TV channel on Earth

http://www.suprememastertv.com/ Go Veg.comGo Veg.com

A website with a lot of information on vegetarianism

http://www.goveg.com/index.aspx Vegetarian recipesVegetarian recipes

Beautiful recipes with pictures

http://al.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/recipe/menu.htm

Sources:1. http://www.ciwf.org.uk/publications/reports/Global_benefits_summary.pdf\

2. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environment3. http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Information/Species_Extinction/

4. http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp5. http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/EP174A.pdf6. http://www.vegetarismus.ch/video/vsuk_skripte.htm

7. Al Gore’s book An Inconvenient Truth8. http://www.ciwf.org/publications/reports/The_Global_Benefits_of_Eating_Less_Meat.pdf

9. http://wwcpd.org/2008/wasted-resources/10. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2367646

11. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/78/3/660S#R3012. http://www.climate.org/topics/water.html

13. http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html 14. John Robbins, "Diet for a New America"

15. http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.html16. http://www.climate.org/topics/water.html

17. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e00.pdf18. http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_chickens.asp

19. http://www.suprememastertv.com/20. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0515_030515_fishdecline.html

21. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/02/AR2006110200913.html

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