A Vegetarian Voice Against Climate Change

In less than 100 days in office, President Donald Trump has waged an all-out war against America’s ability to combat climate change. 

He withdrew the country from the Paris Climate Accord, froze congressional funding for clean energy and removed references to climate change from numerous federal websites, according to The New York Times.

Trump’s philosophy on climate change can be summarized by a remark from his inaugural address “We will drill, baby, drill.”

If you’re among the 63% of Americans worried about global warming, it’s easy to feel the crushing weight of helplessness, but instead of succumbing to the bleak reality, turn toward the glimmer of hope available through individual action. 

Become a vegetarian.

A diet change is one of the best ways to have a positive effect on the environment in day-to-day life.

The livestock industry is far more resource intensive than the production of plant-based foods. 

Animals must be fed, requiring farmers to grow feed, which uses up land and water. This leaves only 37% of cropland for direct consumption. Livestock also need space to live and water to drink, requiring additional resources beyond the already intensive needs of feed crops. 

Meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, according to The Guardian. It takes an average of 219.32 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions to produce 2.2 pounds of beef, according to Statista. 

Emissions from plant-based foods, however, average between 10 to 50 times less than meat. The carbon emissions of tofu are a mere 0.18 pounds and root vegetables, like carrots, emit just 0.09 pounds of carbon. 

Despite the undeniable sustainability impact of eating less meat, only 6% of Americans are vegetarian. As of 2010, Americans ate three times more meat than the global average, according to a Johns Hopkins study.

American culture thrives on eating meat. It’s everywhere, from turkey legs at state fairs to hot dog eating competitions and backyard barbeques. 

While there isn’t one catch-all fix to climate change, vegetarianism seems like the obvious choice to reduce one’s individual impact on the environment.

But meat consumption isn’t only killing our planet — it’s killing us.

Red and processed meats have been linked to increases in heart disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer, according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to the negative health effects of too much meat, only one in every 10 Americans eats the CDC’s recommended amounts of produce — 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables daily.

Vegetarianism — when the diet isn’t solely pasta — can help Americans take charge of both their health and environmental impact.

While a complete diet change may seem like a Sisyphean task, experimenting with consciously consuming less meat can still make an impact.

Meatless Mondays — the practice of using Mondays to encourage more plant-based consumption during the week — have shown eating a vegetarian diet for even one day a week  can cut your carbon footprint by 7.5 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to Climate Generation.

Imagine if every single American ate a vegetarian diet once a week. If even 25% of Americans participated in Meatless Monday, carbon footprints could be reduced by almost 640 million pounds, based on the 2024 Census.

That kind of emissions reduction — through such a relatively small step — would be astronomical. 

This isn’t about perfection in diet choices, but taking a step towards reducing emissions. What you do matters. What you eat or spend your money on matters. Have your dollar support the more sustainable plant-based choice.

Eating a vegetarian diet puts control back in the hands of the individual. It provides hope, despite the Trump administration’s determination to ignore the climate crisis. 

We have to eat, but we don’t have to contribute to environmental degradation with our food choices. 

Choose to protect the environment — become a vegetarian.