Plant-Based Eating & Climate Change

Let me just start this off with saying that my family and I already try to lessen our harmful impact on the environment. We bring our own bags to the grocery store, we use stainless steel straws when we can, and, most importantly, we eat plant-based foods.

Yes, you read that correctly. Greenhouse gases are basically one-way heat portals. When the warmth from the sun beams down on Earth, the greenhouse gases trap the heat inside the atmosphere. That ultimately leads to the entire globe heating up, melting icecaps and glaciers, killing animals and forcing them to move, etc. Climate change can also cause a new harshness in natural disasters. Hurricanes, tornados, floods and storms can become far worse than they used to be, causing more damage to our homes and belongings. People could die from the severe weather conditions that are arising. There is so much we can do to make sure that our planet doesn't turn into a puddle of slush. Okay, maybe it won't be THAT bad, but we could slow this process down! One of the best ways is eating healthy.

 www.theguardian.com has an article that states that a vegan or vegetarian diet has about half of the carbon footprint of a meat-loving diet. A plant-based diet will be sure to emit less carbon, a greenhouse gas, far less than meat. When you raise an animal like, say, a cow, they emit about 1/7 of our earth's greenhouse gases. Of course, it's all those gassy animals combined to make up so much of Earth's greenhouse gases. Red meat is especially harmful. I know, it may be hard to give up your favorite sirloin steak, or an afternoon of fried chicken, but ultimately, it will help lower greenhouse gases in the long run.

Of course, eating healthily is not going to put a plug in the greenhouse gases, far from it! Even if almost 8 billion people could afford to make the switch AND choose to go with it, it'd only remove 14.5% of the greenhouse gas effect. It will take more than fruits and veggies to stop climate change.

Thanks for reading this! Comment below on 1 way YOU help the environment!