I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 6 years, but my meatless journey didn’t start with some stark revelation or by following someone’s prophetic opinions. It started when I overheard a conversation between two friends. They were talking about the one’s decision to stop eating beef. “Beef production is one of the worst things for the environment,” he said. I didn’t believe him at first, until I looked into it.

When I started looking into it, I couldn’t stop. It wasn’t long before I, myself, stopped eating beef. But that was just the beginning. Livestock production in general is responsible for an enormous amount of pollution, both from the production and the transportation of the animals. I realized I had to stop eating meat if I wanted to consider myself environmentally conscious.

Ecology

This was the first time I realized the Ecological argument for vegetarianism. This argument is one of the most persuasive, in my opinion, because it appeals to people who don’t necessarily care about the well being of animals. Most people can agree that the environment is worth protecting.

Disclaimer: all the data I refer to in this post is available in the sidebar.

Factory farming affects your local environment. The Center for Disease Control says factory farming is responsible for water pollution in more than 29 states. Groundwater can become contaminated through cesspool runoff, breaks in underground manure storage tanks, or by improperly spreading manure on land. Surface water can also be contaminated in the same ways.

But water quality isn’t the only thing affected by factory farming. Factory farms spread gaseous and particulate pollution around their immediate vicinity. Particulate matter can also be spread during storms, or when the manure is spread over fields. A 2006 study also found that the closer children were to factory farms and cesspools, the greater their risk of developing asthma was.

Livestock production has global effects as well. According to Yale University, cattle ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in Amazonian countries. This is bad for obvious reasons. The Amazon helps to absorb some of the carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere, and destroying it decreases its ability to do so. Global agriculture, which is dominated by livestock and animal feed production, is also responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. 18% can be directly linked to livestock production. That’s more than the entire transportation industry.

Health

After discovering the environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet, I began to research the Health benefits. Much of the traditional research into vegetarian health has been about how a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy, but that is starting to reverse. New research has recently emerged that points to the health benefits of a vegetarian diet.

Most of the health benefits are likely due to the fact that vegetarians eat more fruits and vegetables, and less saturated fats and cholesterol than non-vegetarians. According to Harvard Health Publications, vegetarians are “likely to have lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI), all of which are associated with longevity and a reduced risk for many chronic diseases.”

Most of the health benefits can be obtained without cutting out all meat, by just increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains you eat. But cutting out some meat, especially red and processed meat, can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and certain forms of cancer. The World Health Organization classifies processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means there is strong evidence indicating it causes cancer. Other red meats are classified by WHO as possible carcinogens.

This isn’t to say that vegetarian diets are inherently superior or devoid of faults. The risks of vegetarianism is a topic that warrants its own post.

Ethics

Besides the Ecological and Health arguments, there’s the Ethical side of vegetarianism. This is the argument that is probably used the most in attempts to convert people to vegetarianism, but is the hardest to actually convince people on. There are countless philosophical arguments for and against the idea of vegetarianism—which is another topic that warrants its own post (look at me already planning a schedule of posts)—but I believe it is best summed up by this Peter Singer quote:

“It is an implication of this principle of equality that our concern for others ought not to depend on what they are like, or what abilities they possess. It is on this basis that the case against racism and the case against sexism must both ultimately rest; and it is in accordance with this principle that speciesism is also to be condemned. If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?”

Other creatures want to be alive as much as we do. They want not to suffer in the same ways as humans. To deny them such pleasures would be to deny the slave the pleasure of being a free man.

Most people agree that helping the poor is a good thing, but we turn away from the homeless on the streets. Most of us agree that being healthy is a good thing, but we sit and watch tv all day or have that extra donut for breakfast. Our beliefs don’t always match up with our actions. But I hope that if any of these arguments for vegetarianism resonated with you, you try to match your actions to your beliefs.

Thanks for listening to this vegetarian’s opinion.