Climate change is an issue that is increasingly important—with more extreme weather patterns, droughts, and global warming. While some argue that vegetarianism is the solution to climate change, it isn’t the answer.
First, it is nearly impossible to get everyone to shift to vegetarian diets. A Gallup poll in 2018 showed that only 5 percent of Americans are vegetarians and only 3 percent are vegans, which is data that has held steady for years. Meat is simply part of culture all around the world, and people aren’t willing to give it up. According to a poll from the Guardian, while Americans recognize the meat industry’s effects on the climate, few are willing to change their habits or diets as a result.
Second, giving up meat does not solve the issue of climate change. In fact, according to Professors Mary Beth Hall and Robin White from the Agricultural Research Service, if Americans eliminated all animal protein from their diets, it would only lead to a reduction of 2.6 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Furthermore, methane, produced by cattle, is referred to as a greenhouse gas. This means that as methane is emitted into the atmosphere, some methane is also destroyed. In contrast, carbon dioxide, produced by fossil fuels, is a stock gas that builds up in the atmosphere.
Instead of focusing on vegetarianism, which distracts us from other priorities, we need to curb carbon emissions to zero. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture causes only 10 percent of carbon emissions, while transportation and electric power produce over half of the carbon emissions around the world. Therefore, we should focus our efforts on reducing carbon emissions from transportation and electric power generation, if we want to effectively stop climate change.
In conclusion, vegetarianism isn’t the answer to solving climate change. It is unachievable, ineffective, and distracts us from bigger priorities, such as transportation and electricity.
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