Vegan Chic: Articles | Environmental Veganism

While the majority of vegans may choose a vegan lifestyle based on ethical commitment or moral convictions concerning animal rights, the environment is also a concern of a growing number of vegans.

Environmental veganism is based on a system of beliefs that living a vegan lifestyle means consuming fewer resources and causing less environmental damage than an animal-based diet. Global warming and other environmental concerns are why environmental veganism is becoming a more desirable way of living. This is due to the fact that animal agriculture and factory farming is linked to climate change, water pollution, land degradation and a decline in biodiversity. Additionally, a vegan diet, the core basis of environmental veganism, requires the use of much less land, water and energy than a carnivorous diet. Global warming is just the beginning of the problems with mass animal production, too. Factory animal farming causes widespread pollution, and creates problems with deforestation. It also encourages species extinction as we remove natural animal habitats to make more room for mass production farms.

According to the Vegan Society, world meat production has quadrupled in the past 50 years, and livestock now outnumber people by more than three to one, meaning that the population of livestock is expanding at a rate that exceeds the rate of growth of our human population. This trend is a contributor to the environmental problems due to mass livestock production, thus the reason environmental veganism becomes an important factor in a healthy lifestyle.

Environmental veganism embraces the use of plant life, rather than animal life, for putting food on our tables. Plant farming requires much less water, creates less waste, and does not emit gases that contribute to global warming. Crop farming is a much more efficient use of land, creating less waste with much less harm to the planet. According to Vegan Views, if environmental veganism were to become more widespread, there would be fewer environmental problems that face our worldwide community today. By only consuming food that is plant based in origin, approximately only one-sixth of the amount of land we use today for farming would be required to give to feed a given amount of individuals. Additionally, Vegan Views stresses that producing only food that is of plant origin would mean woodland and hedgerow would no longer need to be destroyed, and more could be planted to reverse past environmental decline, providing soil erosion prevention, more fertile lands, cleaner air and creating more habitats for endangered species and other wildlife. Therefore, environmental veganism is definitely a winning combination, both for human health and for the health of the planet. Environmental veganism is truly a natural way of life, and will help maintain our planet's natural resources.