Could becoming vegan mean a permanent solution to climate change?

Our worlds’ climate is changing, the air becomes hotter, polar ice melts which causing floods and the
submerge of several islands and coastal positional cities. As the fear that the Earth will be an
uninhabitable place in consequence of human activity, people are willing to have more attention on
possible solutions to climate change.

During the past century, human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Most of the gases come from burning fossil fuels to produce
energy. Greenhouse gases are like a blanket around the Earth, trapping energy in the atmosphere
and causing it to warm. This is called the greenhouse effect and it is natural and necessary to support
life on earth. However, while greenhouse gases buildup, the climate changes and result in dangerous
effects to human health and ecosystems. People have adapted to the stable climate we have enjoyed
since the last ice age which ended several thousand years ago. A warmer climate can bring changes
that can affect our water supplies, agriculture, power and transportation systems, the natural
environment, and even our own health and safety. There are some climate changes that are
unavoidable and nothing can be done about it. For example, carbon dioxide can stay in the
atmosphere for nearly a century, so Earth will continue to warm in the future.

Global warming has really taken effect in the world over the last century. It is the unusually rapid
increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the
greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels. Global warming is due to the enhancing
greenhouse gases emission and build-up in the Earth’s environment. The gases that have an
influence on the atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, dinitrogen-oxide, and methane.

Scientists over the years have been very pressing about the dangers and effects that a warming
planet and changing climates can cause the world. Some of these effects include a drastic change in
the weather, the likelihood of drought, an increased water demand coupled with a decreased supply,
and a severe effect on health. Still, people do not seem to realize the gravity of their actions ignoring
cautions and signs even if such are already in front of them. With or without regard to decades of
piling evidences and many social and government efforts, one fact remains steadfast. “Climate
change is happening and fast”.

The Industrial Revolution starting from the 1700s saw the greatest increase in CO2 and greenhouse
gas emissions owing to an increase in human activities. For instance, the recent industrialization gave
rise to many factories and electricity-producing companies, the main activity of which is the
combustion of fossil fuels. Coal mining and oil extraction from Earth’s crust also produces this same
effect. Furthermore, deforestation to support other industrial activities such as agriculture takes
away available trees that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and, thus, releases these carbons in
the atmosphere once more (qtd. in Shah, 2012). Other sources of the gases include landfills and
digestive systems of grazing animals from agriculture, which likely contain methane, fertilizers
containing nitrous oxides, and industrial products previously containing CFCs.
Carbon dioxide (CO2): Fossil fuel use is the primary source of CO2. CO2 can also be emitted from
direct human-induced impacts on forestry and other land use, such as through deforestation, land
clearing for agriculture, and degradation of soils. Likewise, land can also remove CO2 from the
atmosphere through reforestation, improvement of soils, and other activities.

Methane (CH4): Agricultural activities, waste management, energy use, and biomass burning all
contribute to CH4 emissions.

Nitrous oxide (N2O): Agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, are the primary source of N2O
emissions. Fossil fuel combustion also generates N2O.

Fluorinated gases (F-gases): Industrial processes, refrigeration, and the use of a variety of consumer
products contribute to emissions of F-gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

Electricity and Heat Production (25% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): The burning of coal,
natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas
emissions.

Industry (21% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): Greenhouse gas emissions from industry
primarily involve fossil fuels burned on site at facilities for energy. This sector also includes emissions
from chemical, metallurgical, and mineral transformation processes not associated with energy
consumption and emissions from waste management activities. (Note: Emissions from industrial
electricity use are excluded and are instead covered in the Electricity and Heat Production sector.)

Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (24% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions):
Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector come mostly from agriculture (cultivation of crops and
livestock) and deforestation. This estimate does not include the CO2 that ecosystems remove from
the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in biomass, dead organic matter, and soils, which offset
approximately 20% of emissions from this sector.[2]

Transportation (14% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): Greenhouse gas emissions from this
sector primarily involve fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air, and marine transportation. Almost all
(95%) of the world's transportation energy comes from petroleum-based fuels, largely gasoline and
diesel.

Buildings (6% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector
arise from onsite energy generation and burning fuels for heat in buildings or cooking in homes.
(Note: Emissions from electricity use in buildings are excluded and are instead covered in the
Electricity and Heat Production sector.)

Other Energy (10% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): This source of greenhouse gas
emissions refers to all emissions from the Energy sector which are not directly associated with
electricity or heat production, such as fuel extraction, refining, processing, and transportation.

1. Energy Production

The burning of fossil fuels for energy production is single-handedly the biggest source of carbon
dioxide emissions. In a report published by the United National Environment Programme (UNEP), the
“supply and use of fossil fuels accounts for about three-quarters of mankind’s carbon dioxide
emissions.” The energy created from the combustion of fossil fuels is used to produce heat,
electricity and generate power for homes, offices, manufacturing and construction, among others.
The images below from the showcases the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses emitted
for energy production vis-a-vis other sectors. Since energy production is the sector most responsible
for greenhouse gas emissions, our collective efforts to reduce energy waste in our homes, switch to
energy-efficient products and put pressure on our governments to invest in renewable energy will go
a long way to tackling climate change.

2. Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU)

Agriculture, livestock-raising, deforestation and the conversion of forest lands all contribute to
substantial carbon emissions. AFOLU impacts on carbon emissions are two-fold. For example, the
clearing of forests for conversion into agricultural lands resulted in the decreased number of trees
which can absorb carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, animal agriculture releases not just
carbon dioxide but other greenhouse gases. According to Skeptical Science, “producing beef releases
four times more greenhouse gases than a calorie-equivalent amount of pork, and five times as much
as an equivalent amount of poultry.”

3. Industry

The industrial sector that includes mining, manufacturing, and construction has produced as much as
21 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in 2014. According to a report, the five industry categories of
paper, food, petroleum refineries, chemicals and metal/mineral products are responsible for
contributing the most greenhouse gases. This is because the use and combustion of fossil fuels are
essential to the various steps of manufacturing and industry processes. As an example, the
conversion of limestone in the cement industry requires the combustion of fossil fuels in order to
generate heat.

4. Transport

Another big culprit of carbon emissions is the transportation sector. According to a report, road
transport is responsible for 72 percent of the sector’s carbon dioxide emissions, marine shipping
producing 14 percent and global aviation 11 percent of emissions. Plus, there are still indirect
emissions as a result of the transportation of goods.

Use of Fertilizers

Many vegetable crops are annual crops and need to be replanted each year. They also draw a lot of
the nutrients out of the soil. Animals provide a natural fertilizer to the soil that prepares it for
another round of growing produce.

Currently, many farms use heavy treatments of fertilizers that runoff into streams and ultimately
create environmental issues in rivers and oceans. To solve the environmental issues associated with
fertilizers, farmers can treat soil with compost. But in a farming system without animals, agriculture
requires extensive amounts of non-manure compost and spreading. Alternatively, we could allow
animals to naturally replenish the soil by incorporating them judiciously into biodiverse food
production systems.

Reduce But Don’t Eliminate Meat Consumption

Part of the reason the cattle production methods have such a harsh impact on the planet results
from the amount of beef that the world demands. Especially as incomes rise around the world and
more people want to incorporate beef and other meats into their diets more frequently, we are
asking big agriculture for more meat than we can sustainably produce.

In short, a diet heavy in meat (and especially beef) will take a toll on the environment. We cannot
sustainably produce enough meat for everyone to have a large serving of meat at every meal.
However, many of the factors above add layers of complexity to the arguments about the best way
to source our food with the planet’s health in mind and contradict the claim that veganism is the sole
acceptable diet for anyone with an environmental conscience.

Cleaning up the mess that is our food system is not a simple swap to veganism. Including a small or
moderate amount of meat in our diets can actually contribute to healthy biodiversity in an
agricultural system that uses cattle and other animals as a productive component of well-balanced
farming.

Vegetarian and vegan diets can be healthy, but they can lack certain nutrients. You may have to use a
little creativity to ensure you get enough protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12. You can find many
of these nutrients in eggs and dairy if you're vegetarian, and from plant sources if you're vegan.

Our bodies need protein. Animal sourced-foods — meat, milk, fish and eggs — provide unique health
benefits that enable us to live life to the fullest. They are the primary dietary source of key
ingredients like vitamin B12 and choline, a nutrient that is critical to brain function. In emerging
economies, adding animal protein in the diet means less prevalence of stunting, higher levels of
physical activity, increased initiative and leadership behaviors, and overall improved health.