Introduction

We have all been there: scrolling through Instagram, and suddenly, a wave of posts, advocating for Veganism (a plant-based diet that restricts the consumption of animal products) begins to surround your feed. They claim that going Vegan is the way to save the planet and that it’ll help solve Obesity. Then, you begin to wonder, how effective is Veganism in solving the climate crisis? Read on to find out the answer to your burning questions about this topic.

This article aims to evaluate the extent to which Veganism is effective in helping us solve the climate crisis. By weighing its environmental and socio-economic benefits, its effectiveness will be compared to other climate change solutions. Hence, this helps us understand the extent to which veganism may be our “best bet” when nurturing sustainable communities.

Veganism and the environment: Huh?

Before understanding the effectiveness of veganism, let’s understand how Veganism and the environment are even connected.

Veganism helps reduce the huge cost of industrialized animal farming, which contributes to 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions induced by humans (Solomon, 2007), and this statistic continues to increase every day.

For us to consume meat and animal products such as dairy, livestock has to be farmed. This process of livestock farming requires an excessive amount of water, land, and grass, among other items. All such things, coupled together, contribute to land and water degradation, and deforestation; thus, exacerbating imbalances in the ecosystem and negatively impacting the environment. Hence, going vegan and consuming plants instead relieves this burden that is imposed by livestock farming; hence, helping us consume less energy, which makes it a sustainable practice.

But all of this sounds too good to be true, right? That is because it is. While the environmental cost is reduced due to veganism and human behaviors regarding eco-friendless are improved, other socio-cultural, health, and economic implications make it less effective in achieving environmental change on a systemic level.

Evaluation of Veganism: effective or not?

It is important to note that much more than having positive impacts on the environment, Veganism works by mitigating much of the negative impact which meat-eaters have on the environment. By reducing the negative impacts of livestock farming, such as greenhouse gas emissions, Veganism is an effective strategy as it “undoes.” However, it has been proven that Veganism can do more than undoing, and may be an active contributor to sustainability. The pros of Veganism, investigated by Rosi, include:

• 1. Veganism reduces GHGs and energy consumption, removes nitrous oxides which drive climate change and helps conserve water. Not only this, but it reduces aquatic pollution which is exacerbated by the seafood industry. Hence, making it an all-rounded solution when responding to climate change.
• 2. It protects rainforests and lands by preventing deforestation which commonly occurs due to livestock farming. It also protects the soil and helps it recover from degradation which occurs due to livestock farming.
• 3. It preserves habitats and prevents the extinction of species; as we know, animals play a vital role in the ecosystem. Thus, improving animal health and longevity allows us to prevent ecological imbalances.
• 4. Veganism helps improve the health statuses of communities by providing vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients which are absent in animal products. Improved health results in decreased risk of illnesses and hence, reduced dependence on antibiotics- which are known to pollute the environment.

Despite the positive impacts, veganism has various “cons” which may make it a less effective climate changer:

• 1. Vitamins like Vitamin D and B12 are often absent in plant-based foods, which can make vegans more prone to health issues; thus, accelerating public health crises.
• 2. Vegan food items such as fruits and vegetables are often economically unviable for the vast majority, particularly because more quick and inexpensive food alternatives such as fast food are often substituted for healthy ones.
• 3. Oftentimes, the Vegan food industry markets expensive vegan food items such as fake meats, plant-based milk, and other exotic fruits and vegetables, which makes individuals assume that Veganism is unsustainable. However, this is more of a systemic issue in the marketing industry, than an issue of Veganism itself. Still, it limits individuals from achieving health and well-being.
• 4. Veganism is a political challenge; governments of many countries are not invested in achieving environmental benefits and do not realize their common but differentiated responsibility over the environment; this lack of liberal perspective hints at their capitalistic nature which prioritizes economic gain from meat industries. Hence, this complex political challenge makes it difficult to make Veganism accessible to the general public.

Conclusion

Overall, Veganism has various benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, it helps preserve energy and adopt sustainable behaviors; however, on the other hand, it may be an economically unviable and difficult behavior to sustain for most individuals. Still, veganism’s positive impacts outweigh its negatives, making it an important tool in realizing sustainable outcomes for society.

- Yashraj Garg