Is Being A Vegetarian Good For The Environment?
61 Comments
We have a feeling today's Teen Ink article 'Meat: An Environment Killer' (written by Vidushi S.) is going to stir up some strong reactions. Weigh in on the subject - start a discussion in the comments!We've all seen our share of scientists in white coats, explaining what global warming is, why it's dangerous, and what we can do to stop it. We encounter protests against fossil fuels and auto emissions. But the one industry that produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, ships, planes, and trucks in the world combined, according to GoVeg.com, has carefully avoided this scrutiny. The meat industry is an often-overlooked factor in environmental destruction, existing unnoticed as amajor source of deforestation, wasted natural resources, and pollution.
Rainforests hold a wealth of plant and animal life. Trees are natural air filters, pulling harmful carbon dioxide from the air and converting it to oxygen. The meat industry, particularly cattle ranching, kills millions of acres of rainforest each year.
Just one quarter-pound hamburger requires the clearing of six yards of rainforest and the destruction of 165 pounds of living matter, including 20 to 30 plant species, 100 insect species, and dozens of birds, mammals, and reptiles...
Keep reading this article at TeenInk.com
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
RADIOHEAD370 Nov 29th 2009 4:22AM
well of course it is good for the environment to be a vegaterian, its a horrible concept to me that people r ok with devouring a live being
amandacd4ever Nov 29th 2009 6:45PM
I totally agree with chandlerizzle!! On top of that, if you read the bible it clearly states that God made animals for our comfort and to be eaten. By being a vegetarian you are going against the bible.
RADIOHEAD370 Nov 29th 2009 8:39PM
okay u cant base an argument off of religion cause not everyone has the same beliefs, and if the christain god agrees with the manslaughter of some of the puriest creatures ever to walk the earth then i would never i dentify myself as a christain{which i dont]
Chandlerizzle Nov 28th 2009 11:37AM
Being a vegetarian is NOT good for the enviornment, the only reason you think it is, is because you are animal lovers who dont like that we kill them.
What do you think god put them here for?
MEN ARE ABOVE ANIMALS!
Thats why basicly all animals can do it sit there, and die slowly, as for we have technolegy, languages, and even cars.
why not kill them and make them usefull , and where not devouring a LIVE being, we kill them. vegetarians are insane, and most of them are phycotic about animals
Hannah McMullen Nov 28th 2009 4:51PM
wow.i've never heard anything like that in my life n' i'm a BIG peace n' saving the environment fan.how did u think of such wonderful message???you HAVE to tell me.
please reply bac!
hajibabe Nov 28th 2009 6:05PM
First of all, that's incredibly cruel, what you're implying about animals. You're implying that they are just useless scraps of meat with no feelings, no emotions, and no thoughts. They don't just sit there and die slowly, they live far purer lives than some people. Secondly, dude, when you say "MEN ARE ABOVE ANIMALS", I hope you know that men are animals. Highly evolved animals, granted, but still members of the Mammal family. Let me ask you this: would you kill a man? Well, why not? It keeps the population under control, doesn't it? If they were just sitting there, dying slowly, why not just butcher them in barbaric ways? Hm?
midnightmizzle Nov 28th 2009 10:10AM
I think there are some strong points to be considered here, but a lot of people just like to shut their ears and sing "LALLALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" just because they like meat. Which is what really annoys me. Make your decision after knowing the facts.
queenofcurls01 Nov 28th 2009 10:45AM
its not living when im "devouring" it. and how does killing plants help the environment? arent plants good for the environment? Anyway "midnightmizzle" I DO know the facts about meat-eating. Such as "meat provides a large amount of protein, which is great for your body" and "killing animals keeps their populations in control" so next time you reach for the salad, think about how your body is crying out for protein, and how you're just shutting it up with the greens..... tsk tsk......
Hannah McMullen Nov 28th 2009 5:18PM
sweet comeback QUEENOFCURLS01.
well,i'm a BIG meat fan and i CAN'T live wit out my bacon,steak,and most importantly venison.this might sound weird,but i ONLY eat meat.sounds crazy doesn't it?in the vegi n' fruit family i only eat corn,potatoes,and i think that's it.oh,and sometimes apples.if u think that im lieing well,that's your oppinion and not my problem.
midnightmizzle Nov 28th 2009 6:14PM
um. wow. "killing animals keeps their populations in control"..? seriously? i've faced this argument far too many times. we *breed* animals TO KILL THEM in factory farms. they are NOT just running around happily in the meadows, "overpopulating" the planet.
and if you like using god as your excuse for eating meat...well, that's your religious choice. it makes more sense to me that someone say "I like meat, and that's why I eat it" rather than "God put animals on earth for us to eat, so ha!"
i have no problem with you if you love meat or whatever. i'd just prefer that you think about your "comebacks" before posting them.
cocomoco15 Dec 2nd 2009 9:14PM
ok..
this is the truth
animals hav no souls or emotions or anything
and thts the truth
BUT
tht doesnt mean tht we hav the rite to murder animals like tht
i am NOT a vegetarian and probably never will be and i dont know what the big idea is...
people r not gonna change by reading this
u r what u r and dont critize ppl
OKAY!!!!
heyhaleybug09 Dec 6th 2009 6:37PM
what?
LulabelleM97 Nov 28th 2009 7:04PM
What is it with vegetarians? Animals breath so do plants. Plants are living things as so are animals. We are animals, too. It's your descision how you eat but vegetarians need to wake up and smell the coffee because plants are live beings.
Think before you say.
Taylor4eva13B Dec 10th 2009 8:03AM
I agree LulabelleM97. This is just my opinion but we should eat a little bit of everything. It is sad that we kill living and breathing plants and animals, but it is our only way to survive. We cant just live off of water. Remember they are not going extinct, we wont let that happen. Like what COCOMOCO15 said, "we r what we r." Thats just my opinion though.
RADIOHEAD370 Nov 28th 2009 7:19PM
Animals are more pure than us "humans" we r consumed by evil and wickedness, they r simply pure, "humans beings" dont even deserve the the name we r supposed to be the care takers of the planet which we r doing a wonderful job at ruining it
RADIOHEAD370 Nov 28th 2009 7:23PM
im no vegaterian i dont eat anything that has been living i consume minminerals from water the sun and vitamins
thethudelh Nov 28th 2009 7:47PM
Meat is murder tasty tasty murder.Oh BTW PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals.
Kayla Nov 28th 2009 9:14PM
Would u "meat eaters" put ur dog on the grill right this second? nooooooo! if u learned to love a cow or chicken or sumthing,, i dont think u'd wanna eat it. just think before u act, and ur body isnt crying out for protein if u eat nuts and eggs. open ur eyes. losers.
Susanthegentle95 Nov 29th 2009 5:00PM
I don't normally comment on things like this. But I have to say Kayla that I deeply resent that. There is absolutely no reason to call people who eat meat losers. Just respect their decisions like we are supposed to do in this country.
cocomoco15 Dec 2nd 2009 9:04PM
i'm srry but wth is ur problem
really...