The anti-social selfishness of vegans

by Raffaele Nappi - 2016.10.07

What would happen if one day, we all woke up vegans? Maybe not a total catastrophe, but almost. This is the verdict pronounced by a team of researchers who decided to publish their data and extensive graphs in BBC Science, addressing three serious problems.



Environmental Problems. Because today, of the 5 billion hectares of agricultural land in the world, about 70 % is used to raise livestock. Hence, a reconversion of all this land to an “all veggie” production would be, if not impossibile, certainly arduous. In fact, in the past, an attempt to convert the fields of Sahel (a vast area in Africa) from pasture sto arrable land, resulted in a strong desertification and a serious loss in competitiveness. Barely escaping an environmental catastrophe.



Cultural Problems. “Without livestock, life in certain parts of the world would be impossibile”, writes Ben Phalan, of the University of Cambridge. Not only because meat is an integral part of the history, traditions and cultural identities of entire populations. But, also because, in many parts of the world, it represents “the raw material” used during matrimonial rites and celebrative activities. To substitute it with cereals or vegetarian staples would be a shock to these peoples’ body and soul.



Economic Problems. All of the workers involved in the meat industry would end up unemployed and would need to be moved to other areas. Even if, in theory, they could all be used for “green” activities, the government subsidies and welfare programs put into place during the transition period would have costs that could not be sustainable: “even the best of plans would probably not be able to provide a livelihood for everyone”.



The only rebuttal is to cite the possible positive effects. “If we were to all become vegetarian by 2050, the CO2 emissions would decrease by 60 %”, explains Marco Sprigmann, researcher at Oxford, who together with his colleagues created a computerized model ad hoc. The global mortality rate would fall 10%, thanks to the reduction in coronary disease, diabetes, stroke and some types of cancer. Consequently, medical costs would decrease, with a savings calculated at about 2-3 % of the world’s GDP. A wonderful dream, that, unfortunately, must take heed to the admonition of the grand, old, Keynes, according to whom, “in the medium-term we would all be dead”.