22 Features The RGS Gazette Issue 12 July 2024 In today’s modern society, meat is a central part of many meals. This is great because it is considered a delicacy, but the consumption of meat at the current global level has negative impacts that will be outlined in this article. There are some clear advantages of a plantbased diet, one of which is a lower risk of heart disease. For example, the Mediterranean diet has been proven in large population studies and randomised clinical tests to reduce the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, and depression. Vegetarian diets also have been shown to support lower heart disease risk and increase lifespan. Some people may say that it is difficult to get the recommended amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins on a platbased diet. However, this is not true. Plantbased diets offer all of these. Proteins can be found in pulses, carbohydrates can be obtained from grains and fruits, and potatoes, corn and peas can provide starch. Plantbased foods are also often higher in fibre and phytochemicals, which are required to defend ourselves against bacterial and fungal infections. Another reason for choosing plantbased diets is lower carbon emissions. Pastoral farming was responsible for 71% of total nitrous oxide emissions and 49% of all methane emissions in the UK in 2021. In contrast, agriculture only accounted for 1.9% of total CO2 emissions. A solution to these small emissions would be to incorporate agroforestry into livestock farms. Agroforestry is the interaction of agriculture and trees, such as incorporating trees into farmland, to increase CO2 absorption to reduce total emissions. Thankfully, the UK government is working to reduce carbon emissions from the farming sector, as in April of 2023, they published the net zero growth plan setting out the government’s plan to meet net zero targets, while supporting economic growth and profitability. "A solution to these small emissions would be to incorporate agroforestry into livestock farms." There are also ethical issues that a plantbased diet solves, one of these being animal cruelty. Chicks in the commercial meat industry mostly never get to meet their mothers and are crammed into dank warehouses where there is no fresh air. Chickens in the McDonald’s supply chain, for example, are crammed in sheds with thousands of others. They usually have the same amount of space as a piece of A4 paper. This confinement allows disease to spread quicker and combined with rare litter changes and water supplies contaminated with their faeces, creates a terrible living environment for the birds. Furthermore, the chickens are artificially bred together to increase profits. This makes them so large that their legs buckle under their weight, causing pain, organ failure, and heart attacks. Due to this inability to walk, many chickens die before reaching food and water. In conclusion, there are many benefits of a plantbased diet, and negatives of a meatbased diet. When you next have a meal, I urge you to consider reducing your meat intake to stop animal cruelty and reduce carbon emissions. Let Animals Live Nihaal Sharma (Year 10) discusses the advantages of a plantbased diet Chickens being raised for consumption (2018) Largescale poultry farming (2024) Sheep farm in the countryside (2013) Chickens on a freerange farm (2024)
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