With the climate crisis becoming a growing concern, more people want to do their part to help curb its effects. Reducing plastic usage, shopping locally, and using reusable straws are practices that many of us are implementing into our routines. However, there is a system that many of us contribute to that has a massive negative impact on the planet: animal agriculture. Food production accounts for over a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, with 53% of that coming from livestock, fisheries, crops for animal feed, and land use for livestock. In other words, globally, animal agriculture causes about as much greenhouse gas emissions as all the cars, planes, trains, and ships combined. It’s destructive in other ways as well. From 2000-2013, animal agriculture accounted for 63% of deforestation in the Amazon. Plus, it’s incredibly inefficient: 77% of the land used for agriculture goes towards livestock, while only accounting for 18% of the world’s calories. By making changes in our diet, we can show these corporations that we want to support sustainable food systems that aren’t damaging our planet. This can be as simple as switching dairy milk for oat or almond milk, adopting meatless Mondays, or even eating more plant-based meals.
Katie Crumpley
Santa Cruz
This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc .
