{"id":4700,"date":"2015-09-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/eat-more-plants\/"},"modified":"2024-11-20T20:47:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:47:03","slug":"eat-more-plants","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/sustainable-agriculture\/eco-farming\/eat-more-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating Less Meat, More Plants Helps the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eating less meat is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and a healthy planet. <\/span><\/p>\n

Organic Farmers Supermarket in Lyon
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meat is an important part of heritage and identity. It\u2019s a cultural staple in many communities across the globe. But with a rising global middle class, societies are becoming meat obsessed. Nowhere else is this more prevalent than rich nations whose appetite for beef, pork and processed chicken have reached a tipping point. The research is clear — a diet heavy in meat increases the risk of obesity, cancer and heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it also makes the planet sick. The livestock sector<\/span>\u00a0— raising cows, pigs and chickens — generates as much\u00a0greenhouse gas emissions as\u00a0all cars, trucks and automobiles combined. Cattle ranchers <\/span>have clear cut millions of square kilometers of forests for grazing pastures, decimating natural \u201ccarbon sinks.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not advocating that everyone adopt a \u201cmeatless\u201d diet tomorrow. But we all must develop \u201cmeat consciousness\u201d and reduce the level of meat in our diets. Shifting to more plant-based foods is essential to combatting\u00a0climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and myriad other problems caused by industrial livestock production. If we decide to eat fewer\u00a0meals with meat or dairy\u00a0each week, we can have a huge impact on our collective health and the health of the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

What You Can Do<\/span><\/h2>\n