I have a big, juicy, meaty bone to pick with some vegetarians. I think being vegetarian is a great idea, because it is healthy for the body and our planet. I am not a vegetarian, but because I believe in its beneficial qualities, I try to eat vegetarian meals at least once a week.
Today on CNN I saw a mini-feature on vegetarians (more specifically, vegans) who claim that their diet and lifestyle are more environmentally friendly than us meat eaters. Barring certain exceptions, which I will address, I think this is simply false.
I have personal experience with eco-vegetarians (as I've taken to calling them), since I have a friend who refuses to eat meat due to environmental concerns. The process of raising cattle, slaughtering them, and packaging them creates huge amounts of pollution and greenhouse gases, and I completely acknowledge this.
However, many eco-vegetarians eat produce that is grown and prepared in an equally harmful manner. A major staple of the vegetarian diet, tofu (or the soybean in general), is one of the most destructive crops in agriculture. Soybeans deplete the soil so thoroughly that farmers must clear large tracts of land every few years in order to continue to grow them. This new land is usually hacked, slashed, and burned from tropical rain forests in South America and Asia. Additionally, since the soybean is such an important commercial crop, government corruption often revolves around it, especially in Brazil.
All produce, just like meats, need to be shipped (often long distances) and refrigerated, processes which release tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere daily.
The exception to destructive vegetarianism are people who commit to eating only locally grown produce. Realistically, I don't think there are many of them out there, as these people would have very bland and unbalanced diets. Regardless, even occasionally eating locally grown vegetables instead of meat will probably have a positive impact on the climate crisis. This way, we can all claim to have a small eco-vegetarian side, cleansing our bodies and planet.
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I believe that either diet is enviromentally friendly. It is to the benefit of ourselves what we choose to eat. I support vegitarians but I also support meat eaters. Either way whatever makes you happy.
I was told in school somewhere along the line that soybeans are actually good for the soil. They create the nitrates that other crops deplete the soil of in their roots, and leave those nitrates behind. There is also such a thing called crop rotation that most major crop-growers use. Every three years, they switch up what crops they grow where, to help balance the nutrients in the soil, as each crop uses up different nutrients and helps replenish others.
And in a way, vegetarianism, even though the produce isn't very eco-friendly, as you've stated, is more eco-friendly than non-vegetarianism. The cattle business does not only release greenhouse gasses into the air. The amount of land needed to raise the cattle is immense. Think about it...all that land could be used instead to grow some produce, which would reduce the need to ship it in from elsewhere in those areas, thus saving the atmosphere from further abuse by us humans. Sure, our massive farming isn't very good for the environment, but at least the plants clean the air, and with good farming techniques, the soil is never depleted to the point where it won't grow anything. And more and more growers are going organic, thus eliminating artificial fertilizers and pesticides which further pollute.
But becoming vegetarian for the environment? That's something I find hard to believe... I never would have done it for that reason, despite the fact I'm extrememly concerned for the well-being of our planet.. I didn't even know about the benefits, environmental or health-wise, when I chose to become a vegetarian... I only did it because I didn't like meat and preferred to befriend the animals than eat them.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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The Story of Myself
Vegetarianism, though doing bits of damage, is doing less damage than non-vegetarianism.
But perhaps a stronger issue to comment on is the heath benefits people are getting from being vegetarian.