Airline travel, driving a car, using plastic bags - there are many things that hurt our environment but one is often overlooked: eating meat. Here are some of the facts and figures.
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Eating meat is deeply rooted in many cultures and any suggestion that people shouldn't do it is often met with angry outrage. Telling people to switch from beef and chicken to tofu or seitan is much like suggesting that Americans shouldn't carry guns everywhere they go or that German highways should get a speed limit. If you're a politician, it's bound to lose you elections.
But feelings and politics aside, there is a consensus that the large-scale meat production and consumption common in much of the Western world is a key factor in destroying our planet. But don't take our word for it. Here are some of the facts and figures:
More than all cars, ships and planes combined
In a 2013 report, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that 14.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) came from the livestock sector. That is more than all cars, ships, planes, and other modes of transportation throughout the world combined. Think about that next time you take the bike to visit your nearest burger joint and feel good about not driving.
Of those emissions, 41 percent are caused by beef production, milk production makes up another 19 percent, pigs, chickens and eggs contribute most of the rest.
There are alternatives. This "hamburger" sold in New York City contains nothing but plant-based food, for example.Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Producing meat requires massive amounts of natural resources. One kilo (35 ounces) of beef takes 15,415 liters (more than 4,000 gallons) of water to make. And an average person in an industrialized country eats 75.9 kilos of meat a year!
Since most lifestock these days doesn't get to graze on endless prairies, the cow that is eventually turned into a burger usually gets fed soy, corn or other crops - food we could eat directly, saving a lot of energy and emissions in the process.
Growing all that food to feed our food takes space. A lot of it. That is particularly apparent in the Amazon Rainforest, where about80 percent of deforestation is due to cattle ranching.
Bon appetit!
Going vegan: Indulgence, not asceticism
Just a few years ago, people who shunned all animal products were mostly regarded as freaks. Now, though, more and more consumers are going vegan. Numbers in Germany are rising rapidly.
Image: Fotolia/koi88
Vegan lifestyle as a trend
No milk, no eggs, no meat: Just a couple of years ago, people who shunned all animal products were generally regarded as freaks. Now, though, more and more consumers are going vegan. They want to eat healthily and support the environment. Restaurants, grocery stores, cookbooks and classes for vegetarians are booming. So what's all the fuss about?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Sexy alternative'
For one, vegetarians have turned around the image of the joyless greenie - thanks in part to stars like Mike Tyson or Gwyneth Paltrow, who vigorously promote a vegetarian lifestyle. One of the most famous German vegetarians is chef Attila Hildmann (left). He has sold 300,000 copies of his vegan cookbooks. Veganism is, he says, "a great, crisp, sexy alternative - and you can easily lose weight."
Image: Jenny Hoff
Healthy, slim and fit?
Books like "Vegan for Fit" have climbed the bestseller lists. Hildmann promotes a diet that opens up the vegan movement to a whole new target group: those who want to lose weight. But vegans don’t generally see this as their primary objective …
Image: Fotolia/Gorilla
Protesting factory farming
Veganism is about protecting both animals and the environment, and promoting an ethical alternative to factory farming. It's become much easier to stick to a vegan diet since vegan grocery stores and restaurants began to spring up everywhere, especially in the big German cities. According to the German Vegetarian Association, there are about 800,000 vegans in Germany - and the number is growing.
Image: picture alliance/Augenklick/Kunz
Soy milk in grocery stores
Schnitzel made from soybeans, cheese without cow's milk, vegan dog food: Marketing experts say there's huge potential for vegan products. Even discount supermarkets now sell soy milk. Vegan grocery stores even offer products made to order. But being vegan means more than just watching what you eat: It's an all-encompassing lifestyle that includes doing away with leather and other animal products.
Image: imago
A global movement
There are vegetarians all over the world. "The movement is traditionally strong in the US and the UK," says Sebastian Zösch of the German Vegetarian Association. "But Germany has slowly taken on a leading role." As well as among Europeans and Anglo-Americans, the movement has also caught on in Brazil and in Buddhist countries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Traditional food: vegetarian style
Even the Bavarian Oktoberfest caters to vegetarians these days. Alongside roast pork and chicken, soy medallions, vegetarian chicken fricassee (pictured) and vegan red wine are also on offer. Is vegan the new organic trend? Sebastian Zösch thinks so: He believes that Western countries are moving towards a complete vegan world. Factory farming would then become a thing of the past.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Offering alternatives
Scientists disagree over whether a vegan lifestyle really is more healthy and sustainable. But vegans do tend to be less susceptible to diseases associated with modern civilization, such as Type 2 diabetes. "Being vegan is an option. But that doesn’t mean you have to change your entire life," says chef Attila Hildmann. He doesn’t want to convert people - he just wants to offer alternatives.
Image: Eilís O'Neill
Abstinence from currywurst and cake
Rosemary polenta with mangold mushrooms, eggplant curry with chickpeas, and salad with silk tofu dressing: In recent years, eating vegan has redefined itself as culinary indulgence. When it comes to currywurst sausage, cream cake, and cheese sandwiches, vegetarians are out of luck - and yet the vegetarian trend is still going strong.
