Have you ever wondered what would happen if everyone in the world decided to become a vegetarian? Let’s explore this interesting idea and see how it might change our lives and the planet.
Right now, not many people are vegetarians. In the US and Canada, only about 4 to 5% of people don’t eat meat, while in India, it’s a bit more common, with over 30% of the population being vegetarian. Because of this, there are billions of animals like chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs around the world. If everyone stopped eating meat, these animals wouldn’t be needed for food anymore, which would free up a lot of land.
Currently, about 33 million square kilometers of land are used for grazing animals. That’s an area about the size of Africa! Some of this land could be used to grow more vegetables, but a lot of it is too dry for crops without help from humans. If managed well, some of this land could turn back into natural grasslands or forests, which would be great for the environment. This change could help reduce global climate change by allowing more trees to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas.
Animals like cows also produce methane, another greenhouse gas that’s even more potent than CO2. Livestock farming is responsible for about 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the cars, planes, and trains in the world combined. Many scientists think that eating less meat could be a powerful way to fight climate change.
Switching to a vegetarian diet would also save a lot of water. Agriculture uses about 70% of the world’s freshwater. Producing a kilogram of beef takes 15,000 liters of water, while pork needs 6,000 liters, and chicken requires 4,000 liters. In contrast, cereal crops use 1,600 liters, fruit needs 900 liters, and vegetables only require 300 liters. Even when you compare the water needed per calorie of food energy, beef is still much more water-intensive than plant-based foods.
However, there are some challenges to consider. We would lose a cheap source of products like leather and animal fats used in cosmetics and other items. While there are plant-based alternatives, producing them would require more land for crops, which might limit the amount of land that could return to its natural state.
Another issue is employment. Over a billion people work in animal farming, especially in developing countries. Many of these people might struggle to find new jobs if the demand for meat disappeared. Some could switch to producing milk, eggs, or vegetables, but it would be a big change for many.
Interestingly, while some countries are seeing a rise in vegetarianism, others like India and China are eating more meat as they become wealthier. This trend balances out the decrease in meat consumption in other places.
At ASAPScience, we even tried going vegetarian for 21 days to see what it was like. If you’re curious about our experience and what we learned, you can check out our video. And don’t forget to subscribe for more fun science videos!
Research the environmental impact of meat production versus plant-based diets. Create a presentation to share your findings with the class. Focus on aspects like land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Use visuals like charts and graphs to make your presentation engaging.
Participate in a class debate on the topic: “Should the world go vegetarian?” Prepare arguments for both sides, considering environmental, economic, and social factors. Engage with your classmates in a respectful discussion to explore different perspectives.
Work in small groups to find and prepare a vegetarian recipe. Share your dish with the class and explain the nutritional benefits of the ingredients used. Discuss how adopting such meals could impact global food resources and health.
Write a short story imagining a day in a world where everyone is vegetarian. Describe how daily life, the environment, and the economy have changed. Use your creativity to explore both the positive and negative aspects of this new world.
Interview a vegetarian or someone who has tried a vegetarian diet. Ask about their reasons for choosing this lifestyle, the challenges they face, and the benefits they experience. Present your findings to the class, highlighting personal insights and broader implications.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music] Chances are you or someone you know is a vegetarian, so we thought we’d try a thought experiment: what would happen if everyone in the world suddenly became a vegetarian? What effect would it have on our lives and the planet?
Before we begin, full disclosure: none of us at ASAPScience are vegetarians, and the worldwide rate of vegetarianism is fairly low, ranging from about 4 to 5% in the US and Canada to a little over 30% in India. As a result, there are currently about 20 billion chickens, 1.5 billion cows, over a billion sheep, and nearly a billion pigs in the world. Without meat-eating humans to provide a market, whole herds of domestic animals would disappear, freeing up vast quantities of land.
About 33 million square kilometers of land are used for pasture—an area about the size of Africa. This doesn’t even count the land used to grow crops exclusively for animal feed. Some of it would be needed for the increased amount of vegetable crops, but much of the land currently used as pasture is actually too dry to grow crops without human intervention. This land could turn to desert, but if properly managed, it’s possible that some farmland would return to its natural state of grassland or forest, which could help counteract global climate change.
After all, the loss of CO2-absorbing trees cleared for agriculture is a major reason why global levels of CO2 are rising. Cows and other grazers also affect our climate through large amounts of methane production, which has 25 times more potential warming power than CO2. Combined with the loss of forests and other effects, livestock production is responsible for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all the world’s planes, trains, and automobiles combined.
In fact, many scientists believe that reducing meat consumption may be one of the best strategies for managing climate change. A vegetarian diet would also greatly reduce water consumption. Around 70% of global freshwater consumption is used in agriculture. It takes 15,000 liters to produce a kilogram of beef, 6,000 liters for pork, and 4,000 liters for chicken. In comparison, it takes 1,600 liters for cereal crops, 900 liters for fruit, and 300 liters for garden vegetables.
Of course, a kilogram of meat packs many more calories than the equivalent weight of fruit, but even when comparing the ratio of water per calorie of available food energy, beef is still five times more water-intensive than fruit, seven times more than vegetables, and 20 times more than cereal.
So, are there any downsides to a vegetarian diet? Well, we would be left without a cheap source for many byproducts of livestock, like leather from animal hides or animal fats used in cosmetics, candles, and detergents. While vegetable-based alternatives do exist, their production would need to increase, meaning more land dedicated to growing crops and less restored to its natural state.
A more complicated fact is that raising and processing animals is a full-time job for more than 1 billion people, most of whom are small-scale farmers in the developing world. While some may be able to transition to producing milk or eggs or even growing vegetable crops, many would face the challenge of their way of life becoming obsolete.
Of course, any increase in vegetarianism is likely to be a gradual process rather than a sudden shift. Surprisingly, trends are actually moving in the opposite direction in places like India and China, where people are becoming wealthier and, as a result, consuming more meat. This effectively cancels out the declines we see in other countries.
We actually tried to go vegetarian for 21 days straight as an experiment in our new ASAPThought episode. Check out the video if you want to see how it went, what we learned in the process, and how we felt about it both mentally and physically. And subscribe for more weekly science videos!
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Vegetarianism – The practice of not eating meat or fish, often for health, environmental, or ethical reasons. – Many people choose vegetarianism to reduce their environmental impact and promote animal welfare.
Environment – The natural world, including the air, water, and land in which people, animals, and plants live. – Protecting the environment is crucial for maintaining the planet’s biodiversity and ensuring a healthy future.
Land – The part of the Earth’s surface that is not covered by water, where plants grow and animals live. – Sustainable land management practices help prevent soil erosion and maintain fertile ground for agriculture.
Agriculture – The science or practice of farming, including the cultivation of soil for growing crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products. – Advances in agriculture have increased food production but also pose challenges for environmental sustainability.
Climate – The typical weather conditions in a particular area over a long period. – Changes in climate can affect ecosystems, agriculture, and water resources worldwide.
Water – A transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. – Conserving water is vital to ensure that future generations have access to this essential resource.
Emissions – The act of releasing substances, especially gases, into the atmosphere. – Reducing carbon emissions is a key strategy in combating climate change.
Methane – A colorless, odorless flammable gas that is a major component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. – Methane emissions from livestock are a significant contributor to global warming.
Crops – Plants grown in large quantities for food, fuel, or other economic purposes. – Farmers rotate crops to maintain soil fertility and reduce pest outbreaks.
Biodiversity – The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or in the world as a whole. – High biodiversity ensures ecosystem resilience and the availability of resources for all living organisms.
