How does killing animals affect the earth?
" Methane, a greenhouse gas, is released by bacteria in the rumens of cattle and in the manure of many farm animals." From the cattle we eat, there is methane inside them and they release it. Methane is a greenhouse gas, so when they release it, it is very bad for the environment. The environment would be so much cleaner if we stopped eating these animals.
" Cattle and Sheep produce the potent greenhouse gas, methane, but they are also part of a complex agriculture and environmental system." Even though cattle and sheep produce greenhouse gases, killing them in order to eat them it would create a bigger issue. It would destroy a complex agriculture and environmental system.
" Animal liberation is human liberation. We are all tied together in the great web of life." By saving the animals we are saving ourselves. We are all somehow connected, so if we hurt the animals we are essentially hurting ourselves.
This is also true for marine life. " When the algae die, their decomposition depletes the water of oxygen. This causes the deaths of millions of fish."
This means that when the algae die, their body parts use the water of oxygen and because of that thousands of fish die. Fish are very healthy for us and we need them to survive.
What can our solutions be?
" There is no simple quickfix solution, such as stop eating meat, because it is a complex system. There are consequences and knockon effects." In other words, it is not as easy as we think. We cannot tell people to just stop eating meat. If we do it like that, people will not listen. Additionally, the people who work for meat companies will lose their jobs. People love to eat meat, so to tell them just to stop eating meat is like trying to tell someone to stop playing their favorite sport. Those people will not be willing to listen. However, if we tell them to slow down playing their sport because it will be better for them, they may listen. Therefore, rather than telling people to stop eating meat completely, we need to tell them to not eat as much.
" If becoming vegetarian seems like a difficult task, try reducing your consumption of meat gradually; cut out meat one day a week at first." Many people think that you can go right from eating meat daily to not eating meat at all. That is not the right way to go about making the change. If you do it that way, then you are not going to be able to stick with the new diet and change in lifestyle. You have to gradually get used to not eating meat as often.
Interview
My assistant principal, Mr. Morales, is a vegetarian for environmental reasons. I thought it would be a great idea to interview him. I had many questions to ask him and he answered them thoroughly. Here are the questions that I asked him and the answers that he gave to me.
1. When did you start being a vegetarian?