Eating Less Meat Helps Protect the Planet From Climate Change

Kat said:

Every time science runs amok, I remember the Terminator movies and I know it's coming...

:O :O :O

As we type mechanical impulses into digital and transmit them via light and display them on a Pearl Jam forum for all to see and be moderated.....

If the human population of this planet were at reasonable numbers instead of the hugely over-inflated 7.7 billion (and rapidly growing) stats we're at now, this subject would receive much less attention.  I respect those who are vegan for their humanitarian reasons, but I support moving toward a more vegetarian diet for one very practical reason:  7.7 billion people eating as much meat as we in developed nations do is not sustainable.  Not even!

mickeyrat said:

brianlux said:

If the human population of this planet were at reasonable numbers instead of the hugely over-inflated 7.7 billion (and rapidly growing) stats we're at now, this subject would receive much less attention.  I respect those who are vegan for their humanitarian reasons, but I support moving toward a more vegetarian diet for one very practical reason:  7.7 billion people eating as much meat as we in developed nations do is not sustainable.  Not even!

the last human being on earth is the only one that will run out of meat...

And here all along I fell for all that media hype about how all those poor third world people had nothing to eat.

mickeyrat said:

brianlux said:

mickeyrat said:

brianlux said:

If the human population of this planet were at reasonable numbers instead of the hugely over-inflated 7.7 billion (and rapidly growing) stats we're at now, this subject would receive much less attention.  I respect those who are vegan for their humanitarian reasons, but I support moving toward a more vegetarian diet for one very practical reason:  7.7 billion people eating as much meat as we in developed nations do is not sustainable.  Not even!

the last human being on earth is the only one that will run out of meat...

And here all along I fell for all that media hype about how all those poor third world people had nothing to eat.

well they are rather stringy...

OK, fine.  Just no Donner Party jokes, OK? 

And that plant-based meat...where the evidence that it is that much better.  It is processed food in a manufacturing facility.  Those buildings are massive and require a lot of people to bring fake meat to the stores.  Lots of resources and lots of people using lots of resources.

pearljammr78 said:

This might sound stupid and I apologize. But I god damn love meat. I can’t stand poultry, fish is great but expensive and full of bad shit from pollution. And veggies while good and good for you I can not get satisfied on veggies alone. I was a vegetarian for 2 years and a vegan for 1 year but talk about getting tired of eating the same thing. I’m not trying to stir anyone’s pot here. I’m just being honest. The problem is not eating meat. I know some will argue that it’s cruel and wrong and that’s their opinion so be it. But the problem is sustainability. The problem is we have infested the earth. There are far too many people on the planet. So nothing we do is going to work because of too many factors involved. So I will be honest. While a veggie and vegan lifestyle might be somewhat better, I’m going to continue to eat meat and enjoy the shit out of it. Wanna make a difference? Quit having more than one or two kids. More mouths to feed and drink aren’t going to help anything. The world is become more and more desert landscaped. Ice caps are melting. The world is on fire. And people think not eating a delicious burger saves the day. But then again, the more people who choose to go vegan and vegetarian, all the power to them. Just not me. 

I have no problem with your reasons for sticking with meat, but I hate how you're trying to justify your position.

Your mentioned problem is sustainability. You've identified two sources of problems with sustainability: eating too much meat, and having too many people. To be clear, those are two ways the planet can degrade with human participation. Just because you aren't participating in having more kids more than you already have (which has a neutral at best effect depending on your current family's carbon output), doesn't offset the negative effect of your continued meat consumption. If you choose to just participate in meat consumption when you know carbon output could be less - you are denying yourself an opportunity to help the planet. I want to be clear: I'm in the identical boat as you, but I find it extremely selfish to try to sell your theory that consumption should be continued because you're only making the world worse in one way instead of two.

The world is overpopulated with humans today (not tomorrow). We are already at the problem-sized population, so if you say that we should ignore meat challenges because overpopulation is too massive, then we need to act fast. Who would you suggest we execute first to meet the (literal) deadline (as in the elderly who have had good long lives, infants who don't know the life they'd lose, or middle-aged folks who can leave while things are great), and how many more should we execute as a buffer to accommodate meat-eaters? Also, how should we disperse the killings globally, should it be proportional to problem creation per country? How about per age? How about per carbon emissions - actually should my and your odds of execution be increased because we both eat meat?

I know these questions are semi-sarcastic, but they're only partially in jest. Desperate times will call for desperate measures, and we are approaching desperate times. Humans have done plenty deplorable things in times of need, and will do so again at an unprecedented scale when confronted with extinction.

Meltdown99 said:

Poor people have trouble getting proper food because they are poor.  There is more than enough food in the world to feed each and every one of us...I live in Southern Ontario and we have greenhouse's popping up all the time.  They are food products and some grow Cannabis.  They basically grow 365 days a year, and they are popping up everywhere...until you eliminate greed nothing will change.

And people have to eat.  So I do not give a rats ass if us eating is harming the planet.  Nothing will change. 

Of course people need to eat, not doubt about it and no argument there.  But, as you know and have stated yourself, the planet is overpopulated with humans.  Humans are literally chewing up the planet.  Earth Overshoot Day refers directly to that.  So if, as you say, nothing will change, then we are eating ourselves into a collective grave.  Sorry you don't give a rats ass about that.  Do you have kids or extended family kids who will go through the horrors before us?  Do you not care that this will also wipe out other species who have an equal right to live on this earth? 

HughFreakingDillon said:

rgambs said:

I finally got a decent explanation of why vegans won't eat eggs or dairy on Facebook...it was pretty ridiculous.
A whole bunch of anthropomorphising animals and blathering about chicken consent.

chicken consent?

meat eater: why did the chicken cross the road?
vegan: none of your damn business! he can do what he wants without your carnivorous judgment! 

Well, here’s one way to get there. Maybe nature’s way of correcting itself? Regardless, beware the ticks.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/29/lone-star-ticks-increase-climate-crisis