According to the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “Animal agriculture generates a significant amount of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, and the increased frequency and severity of flooding, droughts, and other weather events expected to follow.” The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that global meat production accounts for nearly 15 percent of all greenhouse emissions, while other scientists suggest the figure may be much higher.
Some food for thought: • Reducing meat consumption lessens the risks of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. • Research by Oxford University found that 45,000 lives a year (and £1.2 billion in NHS costs) would be saved in the UK by people reducing their meat intake. • An area of Amazon rainforest the size of a hundred soccer fields is cut down every hour to create room for cattle ranching. • Participating in Meat Free Monday just one day a week can reduce your annual carbon footprint by as much as not driving your car for an entire two and a half months.
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