Essay Example on the Benefits of Being a Vegetarian: Supporting a Greener Environment

I support the side that argues that being a vegetarian is good for the environment. Although being a vegetarian might not have very significant impacts on the environment, it has multiple benefits that directly or indirectly affect the environment positively (Testoni, Ghellar, Rodelli, De Cataldo, & Zamperini, 2017). Being a vegetarian plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse carbon emissions to the environment. Production of meat by animals requires a lot of energy. Therefore, it produces more carbon emissions compared to a vegetarian diet (Visschers & Siegrist, 2015). The side gives an illustration of the impact that a vegetarian diet has on the environment. The opposing group studies illustrate that consuming a vegetarian or plant-based diet for a year would save emissions equal to those produced by a family car off the road for six months (Greenebaum, 2012). Therefore, if one decides to consume meat products, there is a higher likelihood that carbon emissions will increase compared to a vegetarian diet.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The second reason for the argument is that vegetarian diets save water. Vegetarian diets require less water in the production of fruit and vegetables. Moreover, unlike in meat production, vegetarian diets save a lot of water (Salonen & Helne, 2012). Furthermore, a lot of water is used in growing feeds that are eaten by animals. Consuming vegetarian diets also plays a crucial role in saving the land according to studies (Jabs, Devine, & Sobal, 1998). The area used to produce livestock foods is nearly 30%, this means that livestock occupies vast amounts of land. Therefore, reducing livestock meat consumption and focusing on a vegetarian-based diet is vital because it saves land.

The other reason is that vegetarian goods may be critical in helping endangered species. For instance, Bluefin tuna species have reduced drastically due to an increase in overfishing. Moreover, polar bears have also lost their habitat (Fox & Ward, 2008). The side argues that a vegetarian diet has had both negative and positive impacts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both groups tried to address all the issues in the topic except missing some few, such as the role of flexible diets in the environment. Therefore, being a vegetarian does not necessarily have a massive advantage in helping in the background.

References

Fox, N., & Ward, K. (2008). Health, ethics and environment: A qualitative study of vegetarian motivations. Appetite, 50(2-3), 422-429.

Greenebaum, J. (2012). Veganism, identity and the quest for authenticity. Food, Culture & Society, 15(1), 129-144.

Jabs, J., Devine, C. M., & Sobal, J. (1998). Maintaining Vegetarian Diets Personal Factors, Social Networks and Environmental Resources. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 59, 183-189.

Salonen, A. O., & Helne, T. T. (2012). Vegetarian diets: A way towards a sustainable society. Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(6), 10.

Testoni, I., Ghellar, T., Rodelli, M., De Cataldo, L., & Zamperini, A. (2017). Representations of death among Italian vegetarians: An ethnographic research on environment, disgust and transcendence. Europe's journal of psychology, 13(3), 378.

Visschers, V. H., & Siegrist, M. (2015). Does better for the environment mean less tasty? Offering more climate-friendly meals is good for the environment and customer satisfaction. Appetite, 95, 475-483.