Vegetarianism's Effect On The Environment

Vegetarianism is not as perfect as it seems as it results in habitat loss and excessive damage to the environment. As producing plants in mass quantities require large amounts of farmland and many cycles of planting, and harvesting, the land goes through constant ploughing (Archer 2). This ploughing is the main factor that the topsoil around the world is fading fast. The nonstop ploughing of the land is taking “ U.S. soil ten times faster than natural regeneration”. The dust which results for erosion also causes diseases within humans such as tuberculosis and anthrax. Not just the topsoil but the fertilizers and pesticides put into the farmland leads to runoff. This runoff infects lakes and rivers and eventually oceans around them. Once the

In the United States, a dead zone where the Mississippi river empties into the Gulf of Mexico is an example. The constant pollution and farmlands along the river travel along the river into the ocean where the dead zone gradually expands. As eutrophication leads to habitat loss in aquatic life, agriculture also ruins habitats on land. The more food required need to sustain human life, the more natural habitats such as forests are cut down. As animals are forced out of their habitats, they either migrate to other areas or simply become extinct (Cerulli 2-4). A crop that has recently gained worldwide recognition is an example of how agriculture damages the land tremendously. Quinoa due to its “miracle qualities” has become a major cash crop in the world. As the demand rises, the more people want to grow this wonder crop. But since quinoa has been cultivated in southern america for decades, most of the production is limited. As a result of this, farmers have to work year round which takes a huge toll on the soil where the natives have maintained for hundreds of years (Hawthorne

Plant based diets are unable to provide essential nutrients necessary for human growth and reproduction. Growing these crops to sustain the human’s needs leads to tons of life loss through poisoning and fertilisers along with rendering environments completely destroyed. In order to minimise animal cruelty, and provide a healthy,beneficial diet for humans, a omnivore diet is the definite path to follow. With resources ever lessening in the world today, people must work together and protect the resources with their knowledge and technology in order for the future to be able to survive in the most efficient and healthy way