What would happen if everyone stopped eating meat tomorrow? - Carolyn Beans

Explore the possibilities and challenges of what a vegetarian world could look like if we all immediately stopped eating meat.
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Imagine if a wizard of meatless dining suddenly appeared on Earth and with one wave of a wand wiped away all meat from our shelves- along with any desire to eat it. Farm animals destined for food vanish, whisked away to another planet. What happens in the following days, years, and even millennia? Carolyn Beans explores what a vegetarian world could look like.
Lesson by Carolyn Beans, directed by Mitchelle Tamariz.
This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale
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A special thanks to Marco Springmann who provided information and insights for the development of this video.
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[@Roy-G-Biv]

i would like to see a TED-ED on What would happen if everyone stopped believing and practicing religion.

[@atharvashinde1375]

Hey 👋!!! I developed great interest on your comment... I would just like to know what inspired you for such a thought? No hate, just curious

[@benjaminlehman3221]

I have thought about a world with PROOF of god. 100% undeniable proof. Or 100% proof he doesn’t exist. Either way society would never be the same.

[@Roy-G-Biv]

@@atharvashinde1375 religion is what has partially ruined the world and its people. I would like to know what would truly happen if it didn’t exist.

[@Roy-G-Biv]

@@benjaminlehman3221 never the same. Yes.

[@Masiba7517]

New one would prop up

[@lestranged]

Do another video of what happens if everyone just cut down on the amount of meat they eat by like 50%. Or even less, even cut by 25%. Because many people will say "I couldn't give it up forever" ( even in the comments here, many are saying it) but they don't realize that even cutting down would make a huge difference if large numbers of people did it. Millions of people going meatless one day a week would improve the environment more than a small number of people being perfect vegans all the time.

[@tf5pZ9H5vcAdBp]

Go tour a slaughter house. that'll change your can't do attitude real fast

[@Ksescel]

@@tf5pZ9H5vcAdBpI have? And it hasn’t?

[@161muna]

i think even if people decided to stop preparing and eating meat at home but kept consuming meat when going out to restaurants that would be of great help, a change of habits is necessary

[@chinglamyung]

It should have been "cutting all beef"

[@ocean6462]

​@@chickenleg440it's just not true that eating less meat won't reduce emissions and thereby reduce climate change. Also it will reduce so much animal suffering

[@justinblin]

While I think the general idea may be correct, I feel like this is a more complex issue that can’t be comprehensively covered in a 5 minute video, which leads to generalizations and oversimplifications that are incorrect.

[@nickbowers]

Examples?

[@Phoenix_1991]

I agree.

[@ge2719]

@@nickbowers that the land currently use for cattle to graze on isnt all arable soil that we could grow crops on. theres a reason its not used to grow crops, and instead used for pasture. they claim greenhouses gases due to livestock would go down, but the things those livestock would otherwise be eating, corn husks, stalks, shells, things humans cant eat that are waste product from crops, all of that would now actually become waste with no livestock to eat it, and so it would rot in fields and produce pretty much the same amount of gasses as from it being digested by cattle. If it doesn't rot and add nutrients back to the soil the other alternative is to burn it to get the same effect, but thats even worse for "carbon emissions". So rather than us feeding it to cattle, thus producing more useful food from waste, instead it rots and we get no extra food in the short term. it just means we might not have to fertilise the land as much. same with how they try to make claims about how much water livestock "wastes". claiming it olympic swimming pools worth of water. as if you cut open a cow and you get dozens of olympic pools worth of water spewing out of them. cows eat mostly grass, that grows from rain water, and then within a day they pee it out and it gets filtered through the ground into the water table just like the rain does. so cattle that grazes doesnt waste any water at all. unless you want to get your water out of grass? theres many massive over simplifications in video like these, that are just pushing an agenda.

[@Tamizushi]

@@ge2719 There is plenty of arable land currently being used to feed farm animals, plenty enough to grow human crops to replace them.

[@Jovial_Jay]

​@@ge2719I understand your point but I can't agree completely. There's inaccuracies even in your statements and it's just because we don't know the whole picture from the ground level. We only get info which we are presented by someone passing on agendas.

[@HamzaJatte]

Now make an episode about what would happen if rich people stopped using their private jets to go shopping.

[@BlackJacked]

There is research that shows that eschewing animal products for a year is about the same as not flying for that year.

[@NigraXXL]

I can imagine some people would think whatever that effect was that then eating meat isn't as bad or selfish. "Hey, richer people are doing damage! Let's all point our greasy fingers at them while enjoying our bucket of chicken wings"

[@HamzaJatte]

@@NigraXXL It's about the hypocrisy. Literally the people who come to lecture people about stop eating meat clear away huge spots of forest to build their mega mansions, and fly private to climate summets and meters away decend from their cars to ride a bicycle for the show. This has been caught on camera. Look it up. (I am by no mean denying climate change or the effect in cattle on it).

[@xddddd1719]

Lol mad cuz poor

[@Heroesflorian]

​@@BlackJacked lol no, not if the alternative is flying your private jet every week... some order of magnitudes of difference there

[@vickiephelps5169]

How many people are expected to die of starvation in the first two years of transition in the countries like Mongolia, that do not have enough crop growing capabilities? Will the rise in costs cause other people to also starve? Given our current distribution capabilities, how much food can we move to those areas? How long will it take to build enough distribution networks to get grain and produce to every person who needs them? Earthschool needs to add a couple of contrarians to their focus group to ask these questions. Too many like minded people at that table make for a very one sided story narrative.

[@eklectiktoni]

Also, would the global shift to plant-based lead to an increase in pesticides and fertilizers? Pesticide increase could further destabilize pollinator communities and more fertilizer use would increase pollution of waterways and algal blooms.

[@rodo1252]

This are concerns that only affect the hypothetical scenario of a sudden disappearance of all meat produce. In reality, any change would be more gradual and avoid a rapid destabilization of economies. Furthermore, small, specific communities continuing to consume meat produce would probably not be a problem, the main issue is a global over reliance on the consumption of meat.

[@jejsemin33]

Considering we already have enough food for everyone and don't distribute food to the areas that need it, I would expect that many more would die from this sudden change. It's a logistics and money problem not a production problem. However in the long run it would likely reduce land use, emissions, and health issues. It's just a thought experiment and they also outlined that many people who rely on meat would struggle/perish.

[@joannot6706]

@@eklectiktoni Animals are fed vast amounts of crops so no. You would actually use fewer land and plant fewer crops.

[@joannot6706]

You just import. Transport is marginal when it comes to a food's GHG emission, bulk of GHG comes from production itself.

[@youngcho9311]

It’s a complicated topic. Not all foods are produced with equal cost of water, fuel, labor, time, and pesticides. Not all foods produced humanely. Human trafficking (kidnapped slaves to farm), child labor, destruction of environment (not just fishing or live stock, vegetables farms destroy environment too), animal abuse ( method of production can be very disturbing- check Foie gras). Nothing is perfect.

[@niteshmaurya7552]

and to feed those animals we are doing more of that "not perfect" farming

[@sandracardoso2602]

1:00 this is stated so many times everywhere but it's fairly untrue. The diet may contain all the nutrients, but if they aren't bioavailable (if we can't actually get the nutrients, even if they are there) then we still get deficiencies. We're not herbivores, we don't have the digestive system required to get all the nutrients. We're not carnivores either. As well, mary of the protein-packed vegan diets are difficult to sustain, either because of the large volume of produce required for the same nutrient, or for the difficulty to culture the produce. It's far more helpful to accept we need animal protein since they are dense in the nutrient and is bioavailable to us, and think of the least damaging way to farm it. Reducing cattle and dairy farming is a good start, prefering chicken is nice, thinking of adding alternative sources of animal protein might be the only sustainable one as we approach 8 billion people, like insect protein. Either way, we gotta eat way more vegetables and legumes. For fruits we still need to be carefull, many modern fruits are jammed with sugars, about 300 grams is good. Fill yourself with the veggies, legumes and whole grains, about 100 grams of meat daily and that's it. Get some dark chocolate for dessert, its iron content is bioavailable.

[@circa1890]

Yeah, this is my take, as well. Personally, it's incredibly difficult for my body to go completely vegetarian. Tried it a few times with monitoring of proteins, etc. and still I run into vitamin deficiencies fairly quickly. -Massive fatigue -Dizziness -Numbness -Heart palpitations -Vision loss -Hair falling out And those were the times it was under a nutritionist's care saying that "all humans can go vegetarian".. he changed his mind after watching my decline. My theory is, that it works for some human bodies, but not others. Now eat 3oz meat 2x/week, local, farm-raised and "happy". It's expensive but the only way I can get by without massive amount of pills and shots.

[@Lukas-sq3ws]

@@circa1890actually we don’t really need animal protein. There are so many sources like legumes, nuts, grains and seeds which are very high in protein and carry so many other important nutrients. Also you wont get that many more nutrients from meat. Most difficult for vegetarians or vegans are iron, b12 and selen which you can all get from supplements or for example oats or enriched food. Funfact most meat/animals are also supplemented to get those nutrients when they are consumed. Why not supplement ourselves directly? Yes, you have to be more aware of your diet but you should be anyway as most people even those eating meat are having deficiencies. I agree with your last words though. That should be a key takeaway for a healthy diet. Meat isnt bad in low amounts but it isn’t necessary either.

[@circa1890]

@@Lukas-sq3ws Honestly, yours are the exact words I thought, before trying to go vegetarian. Even with a nutritionist's support (two different ones for 2x trying..) still I was a mess - even with all the vitamins (the expensive ones) and shots. I've met others in the same situation. We just try to limit out meat intake and purchase only high quality and non-factory farmed meat. This isn't really shocking. Every body genetically has its specific needs...

[@sandracardoso2602]

@@Lukas-sq3ws You're right, those non-animal sources are definetly high in protein, but most people cannot digest them completely to absorb it. They lack the correct amount of amino acids, which is what allows the digestion. Some people are lucky and can digest, others cannot. Depending on suplements doesn't help either, what you're discussing is a very modern diet which is currently unobtainable by many countries and even the poorest of your neighbours can't supplement their diets. We need to stop pushing vegetarianism blindly. That push gives many corporations a blanket excuse for animals abuse and miserable lives: "If you don't like it, just go vegan" is their excuse. Many people can't go vegan. So, we have to fix how animals are farmed and how to completely honor their existence by using everything they can provide. Reducing consumption is essencial, we have folks eating 500g of meat because 'they fill you up and it's yummy. Don't like it? Just go vegan". A proper nutricionist can help you calculate the best diet for you and if you can reduce -or even eliminate- animal protein from your diet. We need to understand that this isn't a default setting for humans and start discussing global and individual solutions.

[@sethroberts3634]

​@@Lukas-sq3ws don't you think that the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiency in vegan/vegetarian diets point to the fact that humans are evolved to consume animal protein, at least to some degree? You also need specific amino acids (protein sub variants) that are only found in meat and are not produced by the body. Meat tends to have a well developed balance of these aminos that make them easily digestible and nutrients efficient. I wouldn't force anyone to eat meat tho if they didn't want to, just as if I wouldn't force them to not to.

[@JamesTAbernathy]

As a vegan, I think someone named Carolyn Beans would predisposed to support a plant-based diet 😂

[@JeremyEyraud]

Cannibalism

[@f3d0n4k0z]

I should name my child steak then! 😂

[@rodneyboehner3007]

She also forgot to mention that a meatless diet make people less intelligent over time.

[@sanuthomas2657]

This joke is good, which means you are not a vegan

[@DA-js7xz]

​@@rodneyboehner3007don't cut yourself on that edge.

[@jdeesee]

I like how she glossed over massive starvation.

[@evyats9127]

Because it would be just a temporary problem, the long term benefits are the thing that matters here. AND - this is not a possible scenario at all, the whole point of this video to demonstrate how bad the meat consumption is for the planet. A possible solution would be a gradual (and maybe not complete) shift away from the consumption of meat.

[@jdeesee]

@@evyats9127 wait a wizard can't just make all the meat go away?! Thanks for setting me straight on that one. I like how you also brush it off as temporary. This scenario would literally kill millions of people. The impacts of red meat are usually overstated as the studies usually require participants to eat red meat daily for a month or more. While that sounds delicious, I doubt that there are many people eating that much red meat. Those same studies have also found that poultry doesn't have the same effect on heart disease

[@manqobakunene]

@@evyats9127 Nonsense, this is one sided fantasy story

[@kendrickhering7725]

@@evyats9127 Yeah but define "Temporary" Months, Years? Also the logistical infustructure for incorporating plant based diets for dozens of different countries and cultures would be astounding. The truth is plant-based diets are only really achievable rn in the US, Europe, and other areas with a sizable income/infestructure. It's such a Western Centrist pidea. (and I'm PRO- plant based diet)

[@crimeminister7391]

@@evyats9127you do that buddy. And give yourself a medal

[@jonathanmerrill98]

I was Vegan for about two years and with eating the right things to get all my nutrients and I still had trouble with Iron deffencies and feeling weak. I agree with the concept of eating less meat, however, I feel some of the information in this article may be outdated and does not bring up the impacts of how certain diets (especailly Veg and Vegan can impact individuals differently through out their life span and development (impacting hormone levels in puberty). It will be interesting to see what this channel puts an update video to this with more peer reviewed scientific data

[@earthling_parth]

All the peer reviewed scientific studies have a general consensus that a vegan (not even a vegetarian) diet is fully sufficient including for iron deficiency. Please look at the sources and do your own further research.

[@quincywashington9355]

No, veganism has been proven extensively to be nutritionally sufficient and even reduce the risk of many common chronic diseases as well as all-cause mortality risk. There are many vegan sources of iron that are easy to find. If you had issues with iron that is a problem with your planning not reflective of a vegan diet as a whole. I would recommend you to do some more research on this topic.

[@schnappi-su4pd]

Agree. And to protect the environment there are many other ways we can do like choosing bicycles in our daily life, I believe celebrities and their private plane emit far more than cows lol.

[@earthling_parth]

@@schnappi-su4pd you believing does not make it true though. I'm not trying to diss you, just genuinely trying to discuss a point here. Scientific evidence says otherwise. Animal agriculture plays a huge role, definitely bigger, in climate change and global warming than celebrities flying in their private jets (that's horrible too but one is more damaging than other)

[@HamedNicolas]

For all those who claim a strict vegan diet is sufficient in all nutrients, I would love to read their sources, I mean, hard evidence please.

[@Celis.C]

I've cut down on some meat consumption personally, but chiefly anything related to cow meat. When I do have it, I consider it the rare treat. Small changes (in mindset) go a long way.

[@nomoregunsinthevalley]

Absolutely! Any and all steps are still steps!

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

Yeah, I purposefully eat less beef than usual.

[@iclite3656]

Me too👍. Shrimp. I love it🤦‍♀️. But, for the sake of all the sea creatures, I eat a fair amount oh, bout every 7 months to a year, and possibly longer. Needs to refurbish and allow for other animals to have food. I recently got a little frightened bout tuna, as Tuna are big fish that "Feeds many" and reminds of the man body CHRIST, and makes me wonder if it represents cannabalism🤦‍♀️. IDK, but baby steps in the understanding GOD department for me also🙏

[@tecpaocelotl]

Same. I think my household has more fish and chicken than beef. The closest I had to a lot of beef was the big game burger at arbys last month. The patty was 33% was venison, 33% elk and 34% was beef. Lol. I had one once a week. Lol.

[@rian0xFFF]

I will do the inverse for you

[@ryomensukunajapan]

This topic literally appeared in my passage 2 IELTS test 💀

[@AlmightyXaio77]

LMAO imagine u saw this before that

[@TaigiTWeseFormosanDiplomat]

OK

[@nadiaguerrav]

cool

[@khoatran-pc6tb]

I was literally looking for videos for my IELTS students when I came across your comment lol

[@cliors200]

Dear TED-ED team, can you include your sources please? Thanks

[@gorilladisco9108]

Trust! Me!!!

[@BeaHindebars]

Science! 🤣🤣🤣

[@ivanferrarimartini]

Exactly!

[@kk-fo3zx]

The video description includes a link to the Ted Ed article with hyperlinked sources. It's definitely not ideal to do things this way, but it also took me only three clicks to get there without having to search endlessly.

[@cliors200]

​@@kk-fo3zx I see it now, thanks 👍

[@mollyduck6370]

Do one about what would happen if we stopped extracting oil.

[@UlasMT]

I abstained from all meat for months and I felt really weak, even though I was eating super diverse and taking supplements. I learned that my body really needs meat. End of story.

[@carlostj4577]

You probably need some time to adapt that’s it. You don’t need it.

[@Crimson83blah]

I think it’s incredibly optimistic to think that a lot of the land used for meat production could be used for farming in the same efficiency. I also suspect those farmers who breed house and care for animals could possibly become destitute given the demand and price decrease of crops. I know it’s a thought experiment and eating less meat is a good idea in many cases, but this ignores a salient fact: 12% of Americans account for 50% of beef consumption. Have the actual externalities of meat production paid for by the producers and therefore consumers and the problem gets much easier to solve.

[@julianobortolozzosolanho7391]

The average US cattle farm is 418 acres. Hoarding that much land requires a level of wealth that is guaranteed to be resilient to drastic market changes. On the subject of efficiency, yes, it would definitely take years for cattle farms to recover and be fertile for any sort of crop, as dense presence of livestock severely degrades soil fertility. What is incredibly optimistic IMO is considering anyone would a) get elected or b) sustain power in the US while holding a strong meat-taxing agenda, or that any other country or international organization could step in and force the US to solve this problem.

[@LordAlderaan]

It's not the land used for animals themselves but the farmland used for growing the feed for those animals that can now be used to grow crops we can eat ourselves. If I recall correctly we're using way more farmland to grow the feed then that we would need if we grow and eat the crops ourselves instead of feeding it to animals and then eating their meat or products. Check our 2:07.

[@BioTheHuman]

Do you think you can farm 300 milion cows on grass? They live in secluded areas where they are fed crops. These crops came from a normal cultivated land

[@someguy2135]

Ideally our elected leaders would require the consumers to shoulder the environmental costs of animal agriculture, but that won't happen until and unless enough of us voters boycott animal products. If our leaders followed the model of discouraging smoking, an ad campaign would be the start, then the next step would be to eliminate the huge subsidies.

[@kristalynncreates]

@lordalderan we do use the land for crops we eat. Any RESPONSIBLE land owner rotate their crops. Especially (in Canada anyway) the federal government is trying g to limit the use of commercially produced fertilizers. Livestock area critical role in putting nutrients back into the soil, as well as in the case with sheep and goats naturally controlling weeds. I don't understand the propaganda everyone is eating up. The only conceivable environmental cost to agriculture is the shipping. I hate to tell you this but shipping doesn't go away when we switch to vegetables. As for gasses produced by livestock. Although they may be composed of different gasses I'm pretty sure you pass gas too. I don't see anyone wanting to eliminate people because they pass gas.

[@May8Day]

The content is a little too biased, focusing on the meat problems, but not in the plant based system problematic. But the idea behind is really good and others scenarios could even bring more interesting reflections around the topic!

[@navneetrout8193]

You mean the plant based system to feed farm animals? You mean the 500g plant protein to get 100g meat protein? The same 100g protein that could have get straight from plants? The plant based system to produce the unnecessary 400g protein? Go do stand up comedy.

[@matt10y27]

Plant based food systems are not problematic at all compared to animal based ones. The way the video is presented is extremely unfair to a plant-based food system imo. They mention things like cultural/religious ties to meat, anglers losing their jobs, communities losing their way of life, and an initial spike in plant based food costs. These things are only because they chose to present it as an instant switch. All of the positives of plant-based are still true in a long term change. All of the negatives are only true in this contrived scenario that won't happen. Also I don't even think the cost of plant based foods would rise...? We grow alfalfa, soy, and feed corn for animal feed. In this scenario those still exist. Humans aren't used to eating alfalfa or feed corn, but they're perfectly edible still.

[@sor3999]

What are you shilling for the beef industry?

[@May8Day]

You all are lacking some interpretation skills and letting me worry... I wouldn't reply, but I think it's better to... I never said that the meat industry is perfect or made a comparison, I simply said that the plant system can also have problems, but the video chose not to talk about it, what it is also a problem.

[@enkidoodoo]

​@@May8DayWhat problems are there though? /genuine

[@amikan-j8w]

I think what really isnt an advantage of a worldwide vegetarian diet is the loss of food culture in many countries and the lack of vegetable production in some regions. Privileged rich people in developed countries could switch to vegetarianism anytime they want, but people who dont have the ability to get vegetables as easy as them wouldnt be able to and it would clearly make a negative impact to problems of food supply and hunger.

[@BioTheHuman]

If you've ever been to "poor countries" you'd know what cost more between meat and vegetables.

[@JackieOwl94]

Yes. Mainly those areas that have rugged, non-arable terrain will have food shortages. Livestock farming in these regions supply food and fertilizer to the soil via animal droppings. We would also require more petroleum-based fertilizers to supply all the plants if there is no more manure to put on crops.

[@anjalimishra1483]

I'm from india where, some regions are very poor. Poor people cannot buy non veg items as they are not cheap. Most of the poor population sticks to rice, pulses and egg.

[@cunningfox1798]

​@@anjalimishra1483 you can't say about the whole India. If I talk about restaurants take-outs then veg is costlier than non veg in tier 1 cities.

[@Levi_yeager]

​@@cunningfox1798 that's not true at all. In no place vegetables can be costlier then meat.. they might be feeding you crow there😂

[@Athanasia8818]

I would love this video but with more hypotheticals about the negatives that comes with this scenario: Would corporates mass plant some greens, leading to sickness and mass death of insects? Would grass-eating animals be hunted down the same way wolves and cheetahs are now? Those types of inquiries.

[@m0rtale195]

Agreed, the campaign's goal shouldn't be going "meatless" but reducing consumption and waste wherever possible. Either end of the spectrum is not sustainable.

[@shaqthetims94]

Simple answer, yes. If there's an opportunity, someone will take it.

[@BioTheHuman]

One thing people don't understand about meat consumption is that it isn't only about meat. To produce meat you need to feed the animals, and to feed the animals you farm enormous parts of land. The land required to feed so many animals is actually more than what you would need to feed a full vegan human population. These are just facts. So, the area of farmed land would on the contrary decrease.

[@theomaid]

How would humanity cope with the lack of protein and calorie dense foods? How could we ever cope with the impossibly large freshwater usage. Agriculture is the largest freshwater drain of any nation.

[@hereticalbug6361]

@@BioTheHuman grass aren’t farmed

[@ubtpixielox]

A slightly different version I would be curious about is what would happen if people stopped eating/using livestock, but the animals were still there. While some livestock are capable of living in the wild, others would not be. If humans stopped having a need for them, would we gradually just let them go extinct?

[@someguy2135]

Farm animals have been selectively bred for maximum profit. They are genetic freaks that would have a hard time living in the wild. If they eventually die out, the wild animals they were bred from would continue, especially since ending animal ag would free up 75% of the land now needed for food production! Think American bison instead of cows, for example.

[@King_Kenlee]

yes...

[@asier_getxo]

Most would likely re-adapt to their original habitats, in much much lower numbers (closer to what there was before)

[@rahul9704]

Most domesticated livestock are no longer capable of surviving in the wild. Humans have selectively bred them for their purposes. It's also true of most agricultural crops too.

[@rosendoiscool]

Do one like “what happens if billion dollar corporations disappeared”

[@zakariaabdimohamed7063]

Technology vanishes.😅

[@JAL07]

Say goodbye to your beloved internet, computers, cars, and everything you use everyday

[@EricaHansberry]

you really want to go down that road?

[@adrianblake8876]

​@@JAL07 Most of these things can be done by the government. In fact, the internet was invented by governments, not by corporations

[@LegoCookieDoggie]

Okay off topic kind of would the peanut (or nut) allergy rate go up or down? With more possible biodiversity and kids going outside or the demand that nuts replace proteins.

[@yakb.7690]

Allergies are caused by your immune system freaking out. Its not caused by eating too much peanuts.. actually allergies are more common in kids that live too clean and never got contact to the necessary microbes. Thats why its much more common in the modern world

[@Nja_kas]

The problem with plant foods is the high antinutrients they have.

[@carlostj4577]

@@Nja_kas”Although most plant foods contain antinutrients, when properly prepared, they are safe to consume. (7) In fact, some antinutrients have actually been shown to provide health benefits: phytates, for example, have been found to lower cholesterol, slow digestion, and prevent sharp rises in blood sugar. (8)(9) Moreover, most antinutrients can be removed or deactivated by soaking, sprouting, or boiling before consumption, and some traditional methods of preparation, such as fermenting, have been shown to increase nutritional value.” Keynutrition

[@Edmund.]

​@@carlostj4577but in this context, cholesterol would not be a problem, since there's no animal products anymore. slowing down metabolites and blood sugar spikes sounds like from fiber

[@Edmund.]

but fermentation can increase the bioavailability, and could possibly remove the anti nutrients.

[@josafar8321]

Silvopasture systems were once common in Hungary and often had greater biodiversity and other combined benefits of forests and grasslands. Woody steppes were similar until cut down by the late middle ages. Ruminants raised on pasture (especially forested pasture) pose a real threat only to the larger carnivores in the region. Why this is not something to just shrug off, it is also not a deal-breaker in any way - except perhaps for scale. This holds up even in regards to human-caused climate change as all livestock account for about 15% of anthropomorphic greenhouse gases. And don't get me started on tilling large crops for calories. To sum it up: the problem (ecology-wise) really is not with eating animals, but with the way they are raised and the portion which they make up in our diet. Also: the video quiet graciously skips to "oh, food prices will drop down again". What exactly could happen in the meantime? This is a far more complex problem than just some dietary change.

[@planktonfun1]

Imagine a world without cheese

[@tails183]

Sheogorath wouldn't stand for such a thing.

[@Sahrul-qr2nm]

FYI, before modern era, People in Southeast Asia do not eat cheese or other dairy products. And that is the reason why most of the people from that region are lactose intolerants. Even now, Southeast Asians do not eat cheese in regular basis. I am a Southeast Asian myself.

[@whybhavi]

​​​​@@Sahrul-qr2nmNO, we might not consume cheese regularly, but we definitely eat a LOT of dairy products, from milk,curd,ghee to cottage cheese which don't involve killing an animal 😅 (and we have been consuming dairy products from generations, but not the ones like cheese or other western dairy products)

[@Sahrul-qr2nm]

@@whybhavi where are you from? You sound like from South Asia. South Asians do really like to consume dairy products. South and Southeast Asia is different. They have cultural exchange tho. But still different. And milk and dairy products are not that "big" in southeast Asia compare to south Asia.

[@realneonbluegamer]

​@@Sahrul-qr2nmYeah that's only an Indian thing, our "dairy" subsitutes come from foods likr tofu and soy

[@redeye117]

I remember there was argument for this . As the crop allocated for live stock is not compatible to switch to human consumption. As we want diverse spread of carbs ,vegetable and fruits. Not just Oats, Wheat , Corn or Barley which the land is optimize to grow those for live stock. As well as some of land that Cows reside only can grow grass. Which we cant consume but they can. So they are taking things we cant consume to something that we can consume. ( I am aware that alot feedlot doesnt do this and they mostly fed with corn i feel strongly that Feedlot is the wrong way to raise Cattle) Lastly one thing easy to overlook is Live stock does provide other by product aside from meat e.g Leather from Cows, Wool from Sheep, Feather for pillow from Chicken/Duck.

[@taurasbaltrimavicius3413]

Disclaimer. This comment has zero significance. Just wanted to express my feelings. I have no desire to stop eating meat, eat cheese or drink milk. I completely understand that this the negative way of moving forward and I see the video as really educational on this topic. I believe this leads to the view we have on the life on Earth for future generations. My question is now. Should we really make the life better for future generations or could we just end the humanity with us? I see the end of humanity as a huge advantage for Earth as a whole.

[@mrdeanvincent]

Here's an even better version that doesn't misrepresent the problem. What would happen if we replaced all industrial agriculture with a sensible diversity of sustainable alternatives? That means ending feedlots, slaughterhouses, etc as well as ending the monoculture crops of corn, soybean, etc. Those highly destructive monocrops don't just feed livestock but also are essential for many ultra-processed foods including tofu and 'textured vegetable protein' and many meat substitutes like Beyond Meat. There are enormous areas destroyed by these monocultures, with no animal life, no soil life, overuse of chemicals, synthetic fertilisers (from fossil fuels), etc... but they could be restored to functional, healthy, productive, biodiverse ecosystems through proven regenerative farming practices. At the same time on a smaller scale, many people could be growing much of their own food. Surplus can be shared with neighbours & friends. All this helps build local resilience, restore community, provide real food that's actually nutritious, etc. We could help to facilitate all of this, to make it more accessible for more people, for example through education and seed sharing programs. Very, very cost effective for governments! Families might have a house cow or a couple of goats for dairy, if they want. Some families might choose to keep a few chickens for eggs. Again, surplus produce can be shared with friends & neighbours. These animals can be eaten at the end of their life, or their nutrients can be returned directly to the garden. And throughout their life, they've provided fertiliser... this is an essential part of the process of growing food, and a lot of it needs to come from animals (or from fossil fuels). All of the above results in fewer 'food miles', lower emissions, less energy required (from either fossil fuels or renewables), less reliance on fragile global supply chains that are themselves reliant on geopolitical stability and climate stability (among other unreliable requirements) Yet another benefit of this approach is that the population is not beholden to a few billionaires owning the entire global production & distribution of food (or food-like products).

[@yakb.7690]

Because you cant feed billions this way. Your idea is based on a romantic idea without any knowledge of the reality of this system (we had it in the past). Any droughts or pests and your entire local production is gone. You dont see the world wide food shipping that is used in modern days to cover our supply. In the system you describe people just used to starve.

[@keeyip319]

Your idea, given the current population, is impractical. You're aware that many families around the world, consisting of four members, are squeezed into tiny flats smaller than 30 square meters, with both parents working over 50 hours a week, right?

[@mrdeanvincent]

@keeyip319 Yes of course I'm aware of a very wide variety of living conditions around the world. I'm not saying it won't be a very difficult transition. But the alternative is far, far worse. You may have noticed that there are more and more families squeezing into smaller and smaller flats with less and less ability to escape their circumstances. These problems-and many others-are only getting worse... because that's inherent to the current system. Let me say it another say. What is the current system doing to improve the lives of those people? It's clearly failing them. My proposal is much more likely to improve their lives. I'm just proposing that we primarily focus on wellbeing, rather than focusing primarily on wealth and then seeing if we have any money leftover for people's wellbeing.

[@mrdeanvincent]

@@keeyip319 This idea is *more* practical, it's the *transition* that seems impossible.

[@Gaston-Melchiori]

vitamine B12 is only found in Animals and fongus. So we also would need to consume a lot more mushrooms or yeast.

[@AnnanypratapSingh]

No B12 is also found in yoghurt.

[@Gaston-Melchiori]

@@AnnanypratapSingh i should have clarified "animal products".

[@khatabayoop1613]

​@@AnnanypratapSingh😂😂and yogurts come from yes animals

[@AnnanypratapSingh]

@@khatabayoop1613 it's about not eating meat. I don't think yoghurt is meat, yeah ?

[@asier_getxo]

Not a problem with eating more fungi/yeasts/mushrooms. Or just take a suplement.

[@Jacj_]

We also need to consider that most food produced don’t get eaten! Reduce food waste first!

[@rivelinorahmadyanirawanpra1469]

Its not just eating whats better, its eating whats right. Like most green veggies get bacterial infections more often than root veggies & fruits Most of those bacteria are going to be inside the green veggies, while root veggies are usually peeled and fruits are grown at the tops of trees, green veggies are eaten as is And also they dont contain as much nutrients as much as root veggies & fruits Root veggies are so dense in nutrients that you could chop it and regrow it as much as you like (I did it once with an onion and it worked) Fruits were already designed to be eaten way before human intervention Theres a reason why fruits are sweet meanwhile you have to dip celery in ranch dressing just to eat it

[@sahithirachapudi8831]

it will be great if you make a video on recycling of cloths. most of us don't even know that how throwing away multiple clothes on land fills leads to increase of methane. so recycling started but still the issue was not much better as expected. it has its merits and demerits. we'd love to see all this related content together in an another informative video.

[@aminat7490]

When so much magic is required to solve a problem, it's not a solution

[@igorfortes7743]

Actually, there is no magic needed. It is as simple as just stop eating meat and other animal products. The majority of people can do that, they just don't want to. People struggle to understand how necessary (and good) it is. And being part of the problem is definetly not a way to solve it.

[@MiahooJunk]

"Some of you will die, but that's a risk we're willing to take"

[@Harsh-sx4xv]

What would TED do if everyone stops watching it. 😊

[@simonfunwithtrains1572]

Having been a vegetarian for most of my life, I'm now 70. it does require a higher degree of attention in order to ensure that you're getting the right amount of protein and vitamins required to stay healthy, for me that's always been a benefit. Education on the subject of food and health seems to be quite sparsely spread across the population of the world so, the chances are that a vegetarian world would be quite a poorly one.

[@MattDoesNothing]

I have one another way to help the world, is to eat local food. Cut down most of the transportation of food products.

[@ariahri12]

Yes, but not all local food provide the most nutrients and sometime ironically, local food could be more expensive than imported food. That's gonna be a huge problem in Japan as 87% of the Japanese market is imported goods/commodities.

[@MattDoesNothing]

@@ariahri12 That is a very nice point you got there. Probably would be something I’ll take account on my later comments. The thing that I had considered about Japan was just “what if Japan doesn’t export fish to the world?” But I haven’t thought about “what if Japan doesn’t import food from elsewhere?” Yet. Thank you to point it out and make the comment section a place it meant to be.

[@ariahri12]

@@MattDoesNothing tru tru bruv keep it up too!

[@asier_getxo]

Yeah not really. Transportation accounts only to a small fraction of GHG emissions, especially from meat. And generally, "hamane" farming is worse for climate change than industrial farming, which is sad thb.

[@JakeRobbins1018]

"So over thousands of years..." Bold of you to assume humanity won't go extinct by then.

[@bubunmukherjee2857]

Bold of them to assume a thousand of years is as small as their video

[@firestorm1187]

If we keep eating meat we'll go extinct under 600-700 years

[@menpee]

The tricky part is to erase the desire to eat meat. After a week, I crave it. I think about it actively. Luckily beef is so expensive here that I can't even remember when I consumed it the last time. I still strongly believe that overconsumption and wasting food are way worse problems and both of these are waaaay easier to change in the positive direction than nullifying the meat industry on a global scale.

[@kn7892]

I am a vegan of 5 years and a vegetarian of 9 years now and I LOVED meat. I ate so much meat, and I thought I would miss it forever .but after some time the craving stopped completely. Also there are so many products that go in that direction nowadays that I don't feel like missing out. I sometimes miss eggs and cheese tho, not gonna lie. There is no vegan cheese yet that really captures the essence imo. I heard they are developing some pretty promising vegan eggs tho, so I am excited for that. Most of the time I am happy with the "normal" vegan food tho, there are so many delicious options :)

[@chickenleg440]

@@kn7892 there is a reason our ancestors ate meat and weren't focusing on making "vegan cheese"

[@kn7892]

@@chickenleg440 our ancestors also used to live in caves and die at age 30. if your argument is that all our ancestors did is the right thing to do today that's ridiculous. we don't have to eat meat today, that's a fact.

[@mycoffeequest6634]

@PretendingToBeAHuman They don't have to be required to do it. All you have to do is take advantage of their greed. Companies are profit-driven and will not turn down an opportunity to cut costs. If donating left over food waste was encouraged through tax incentives, those corporations would change their tune real quick.

[@priyankapalit4900]

India traditionally has a significant vegetarian population. We also still have the burden of CVS, diabetes and the other life style diseases. Our average life expectancy is less than other meat eating nations in part due to our poor diet. Secondly more farming would introduce more pesticides too.

[@sidsupreme8179]

I don’t think people understand that if you cut out meat, you have to further boost the production of crops which in itself contributes to a high number of CO2 produced

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Imagine if half the population of North America started eating half as much meat as they do now. That alone would effect some big changes... Meatless Mondays!

[@ThrashRats]

Oh boy another video bashing people for the climate crisis rather than the governments, their decisions and policies.

[@mpavanee1642]

it’s because they want you to do your part first like a responsible inhabitant pf this planet and then point a finger at others

[@ThrashRats]

@mpavanee1642 How dare I eat meat whilst the poor multi million corporation keeps pumping literal poison into the atmosphere. Truly we who struggle day by day to make ends meet are the ones to blame, not the massive industrial complexes overproducing and causing over 60% of the emissions.

[@adrianblake8876]

​@@mpavanee1642It's been proven that the top 1% are responsible for more than 50% of environmental problems...

[@Rowanbossart]

People’s diets are already pretty messed up in the west, I can in no way believe a majority of people would find a protein dense substitute to hit their goals when a huge percentage of our population is overweight

[@Micaelangel07]

Insects are protein dense so you wouldnt need to eat much of that to replace eating meat.

[@Rowanbossart]

@@Micaelangel07 yeah no way the western pallet is eating insects, also insects count as a meat lmao

[@BlackJacked]

Y'all would rather eat cockroaches then brussel sprouts lmao@@Micaelangel07

[@flynnodonohue2352]

bean

[@skylark6167]

A diet of pure potatoes has enough protein to survive. Beans and grains in moderate quantities have enough protein for even the highest performing athletes.

[@kvtako]

This video fails to address that animal can consume crops (grass) that grow in areas that cannot support any other crops. Looks at the areas that support cattle (Montana, Wyoming, Texas). The rainfall in those areas will not support a similar caloric content of crops like beans and vegetables. But hey, let just ignore that to push this personal preference.

[@AfaqueAhmed_]

Great idea and amazing hypothetical scenario . But to which planet are we going to transfer all the livestock animals and how ?

[@victor9]

Yeah I like how we just brushed over the communities that will literally suffer and die if that happened and went straight to "oh but look things will be ok later". Pesticide use would increase not decrease. I'm not saying going vegetarian would be bad but an balanced omnivorous diet is always going to be better!

[@direguineapig1755]

They would suffer and die... if a wizard waved a magic wand. In reality, the shift away from livestock will be gradual, staggered, and probably never 100% done.

[@arthaiser]

@@direguineapig1755 will be? why "will"? who wants that to happen really? i dont. i want livestock to continue to be in the world, i want meat to continue being eaten. i dont want the change to occur in the first place, and im not alone.

[@jav.3.air_]

You’re in the first world with a grocery store down the block dude, no one is here is preaching veganism to indigenous folks. No reason to be eating meat other than flavor for most people

[@mitkoogrozev]

@@arthaiser What we want, and what has to happen when reality hits us in the face, are two different things.

[@damaryssalguero9504]

Hey guys, great comments. I am vegan 🥑 and I loved. It is very good to eat fruits and vegetables 🥗 🥕 What the health full documentary. Watch it and you will understand better why to become vegetarian or vegan!

[@RishabhSharma10225]

Don't we need vitamin B12 whose source is basically meat OR multivitamin pills?

[@timelapse497]

There are many many non-meat sources for B12 vitamin, these include: Dairy, Eggs, which are vegetarian and have plenty enough B12 to get your recommended amount. Or Mushrooms, Spinach, Yeast Products (Like marmite), or fortified cereals (Many store bought cereals are already fortified) which are all vegan. Also B12 pills aren't exactly unhealthy, I don't know why there is such a stigma over taking a vitamin pill if needed.

[@mrdoor12323]

Nooo the vegans won

[@emmanuelmarquez3992]

😂

[@EricaHansberry]

So glad that wizard doesn't exist. Did I miss the part of the video where it says what happens to the people who rely on protein from meat because there's little to no plants, veggies, or fruit in their region?

[@BlueberryCheesecake8]

They literally said that lol

[@adrianblake8876]

​@@BlueberryCheesecake8They also literally said that deforestation and pesticide use would decrease even though the meat industry doesn't use pesticide, and deforestation is caused even for farming crops like palm oil (which isn't animal feed). Also, livestock does a thing called "grazing" which accesses water calories and "land" unused and inaccessible to humans...

[@izuizu7313]

what if we turned into pescetarian or reduce meat something like a weekly or monthly thing instead? how different would our life be?

[@kavishgupta1710]

Well, for me meat eating is a monthly thing so yeah, I'm already following ur advice🌝, it has always been like this for me🌝

[@aioli1519]

Fish populations are also on decline. The ocean might by huge, but it is still finite, and especially the areas where fish can thrive are limited and already overexploited...

[@mikaapichatsakol530]

Just to rebut the pescatarian thing. Our waters are already overfished, which is causing so many problems, not just environmental but human conflict. This would be a short lived solution if people aren’t reducing meat intake but replacing one type of meat for another in the same volume/quantity/demand. Remember our population is now 8 billion. It’s doubled since 1975, half a human lifetime ago. The reason going plant-based is the most viable for feeding the population is because 80% of the world’s farmland feeds our livestock, which represent only 20% of our calories. As the kids would say “the math is not mathing”. We would have more food with less farmland if we decided to not eat meat or source it more sustainably like indigenous communities. The problem is industrial animal agriculture.

[@satnamo]

Cruelty is the oldest joy of mankind ❤

[@theomaid]

Blame nature, blame God. Everyone's gotta eat, that's just the way it is

[@oooais3790]

This would true if we consume 100% of the world's food comes from meat but only 14% comes from meat remaining food come from wheat, rice, vegetables etc

[@Pinoyvlogpinoyako]

Vegetarian here ❤

[@JohnHoranzy]

Malnutrition would happen. The focus should be on restoration of prairie grasslands and fixing the corporate industrial livestock industry. Grasslands are more biodiverse than forests. This video is focused on dogma rather than much deeper understanding of human biology and our ancestral diet of hunting and gathering. These people are not going to declare processed carbs, sugar and glucose to be the insulin spiking poisons they are because of the big money agrabiz. Who sponsors your research???

[@sowmindful1501]

Malnutrition, that’s a silly and outdated claim from people that oppose a Vegan philosophy and plant based diet. There is no “big broccoli”, that’s trying to get everyone to go Vegan - however, there is a very large agricultural industrial complex, known as the meat, dairy and egg industries, that are fighting tooth and nail to spread industry funded research, to keep people from knowing the truth. Follow the money - much of it leads back to some very unhealthy business’, based on cruelty and propaganda. This planets wildlife would be gone quickly, if everyone went back into hunter gatherer mode. Humans thrive, and rid themselves of many western diseases on a whole food plant based diet. It’s time for the human race to ditch these outdated practices.

[@generaldurandal3568]

If we are growing more crops, then we could be using more pesticides, so things might not be as perfect as you say.

[@yakb.7690]

Right because meat doesnt require any crop land.. cows just appear. The whole point is that we can stop growing all this corn and soj for animal feed and instead use it directly for humans. Most of our farmland rn is used to feed animals to be killed. Its vastly innefficient

[@therealgrimreaper68]

More crops are grown to feed livestock, in fact if people stopped eating meat then less crops will be grown. What do you think livestock eat? Air?

[@adrianblake8876]

​@@therealgrimreaper68 Have you ever heard about this concept called "grazing" in which livestock feeds on uncultivated land and gains access to calories and water humans cannot directly access to!?

[@therealgrimreaper68]

@@adrianblake8876 have you heard of factory farming? I don’t think so. They don’t graze. Most livestock in the world are factory farmed, 99% are factory farmed in developed countries. They have food specifically grown for them.

[@adrianblake8876]

@@therealgrimreaper68 You've done factory farming, or are you fed propaganda like everybody else!?

[@JackieOwl94]

My question is: what do you do to supplement B12 to those who can’t afford artificial vitamins?

[@iingeeb]

B12 is in plants .

[@survivorofthecurse717]

Not to mention Omega 3, which is predominantly found from fish

[@iingeeb]

@@survivorofthecurse717 omega 3 is in seeweeds. Thats how fish consum it

[@sevinchravshanova4861]

They will just suffer from B12 deficiency

[@Levi_yeager]

​@@sevinchravshanova4861 nope just eat a healthy diet and you wont.i pure vegetarian and guess what i dont. My b12 levels are completely normal. I make sure to eat pulses veggies(not green ones much) lentils fruits wheat and rice..

[@battleon81]

The whole "replace land for livestock with crops for a net zero change" is pretty iffy. Livestock are also fed on wild pastures, which would have to be replaced with crops if the land is even arable enough to support them. All those crops also require just as many pesticides as before. A lot of deforestation is also for clearing land for soy or palm tree plantations, which would continue even without livestock. Getting rid of meat production would certainly reduce some stresses, but they are underselling how much crop production would increase to fill the void. Like mentioning that switching to crops will reduce respiratory issues related to livestock, but completely leaving out the similar medical issues associated with pesticides.

[@ocean6462]

No, the land used to grow livestock includes all the land needed to grow their feed. It requires a lot more land and resources to grow livestock and their feed for them to eat throughout their lives for people to eat meat than just eating vegetarian food to begin with. It's incredibly inefficient.

[@battleon81]

@@ocean6462 A significant chunk of the world still feed livestock using pastures. In fact, pastures are by far the most common land use by area because it takes a lot of space to support the livestock. Even in the US, about 30% of our land is pasture for grazing livestock before they are “finished” with grains at feedlots. The majority of global agricultural land is not for growing grains for feed, but open grassland for grazing that is otherwise not suitable for farming. One of the major advantages of livestock is that they can turn otherwise “useless” grasses and shrubs on infertile soil into edible protein. There are also a number of ecological benefits to grazing livestock that they just ignored. In the US, we could probably get away with just eating the corn that would otherwise be used to fatten up livestock before slaughter. This would not be the case in many other parts of the world that rely on pastures all the way to the end.

[@bakerkawesa]

The answer is to reduce consumerism across the board. Eating vegetables alone won't save our planet.

[@mitkoogrozev]

You are correct/I agree, but also don't worry about vegetables. You can't overconsume those most of the time. Consumerism doesn't mix with veggies :D.

[@gminors]

What about the demand for, production, and use of pesticides and insecticides? How will it affect other animal populations? I might eat more chicken and less beef though.

[@Simonheide]

The video states that pesticide use subsides (2:49)

[@gminors]

@@Simonheide I don’t know if I agree. Wouldn’t increased crops demand require more pesticides use?

[@Simonheide]

@@gminors Agree, if crop demand increases. The video states that crop produced for livestock exceeds our demand if turning entirely vegan, hence the overall production decreases.

[@TLguitar]

I have an issue with presenting meat as an unhealthy part of diet. The truly unhealthy "meat" products are the processed ones that contain added preservatives and curing salts, and it is unclear how many studies about meat consumers actually involve people who consume only unprocessed meat. Either way, while studies do show that vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower rates of certain diseases (and even then it's a question whether the studies could link that to diet alone or whether other lifestyle differences in these groups are involved), they don't seem to live longer on average compared to moderate meat consumers. The average life expectancy in countries where meat is consumed the least is pretty dire, actually, while many of the countries high up the list of average meat consumption have the highest life expectancies. Unsurprisingly the first group are poor countries and the second are mostly rich, so at the very least a supposedly-healthier diet means little without access to decent healthcare. Putting that aside, it's obvious reducing the number of livestock and freeing up farming land would be good for the environment, but I think the solution will come in the form of cultured meat. It's still meat but from directly grown tissue, without an entire "wasteful" animal to keep alive.

[@Fairy_Tales__Victorias_world]

It makes me think about how eating less meat can help our planet. It might be a bit tough at first, but in the end, it could be really good for us and the Earth. It's a complex issue, and finding a balance that works for our health and the planet is crucial.

[@someguy2135]

Those who eat no meat are the healthiest, based on the Adventist Health Studies. They also live about 8 years longer than meat eaters in the same religion.

[@strawberrydome]

I don't eat meat because I don't want to, but because I can't afford it😂 hope it can help our planet

[@someguy2135]

@@strawberrydome If you switch to a fully plant based diet, it would be the most effective single change you could make to reduce your environmental footprint!

[@strawberrydome]

@@someguy2135 because I'm still a teen, i still needs fishes once a week to grow up, but I will try my best!😊

[@someguy2135]

If you don't go fully plant based, boycotting just beef (and preferably also dairy) would have a huge effect! Raising cows has, by far, the biggest negative impact on our environment in animal ag.

[@rikachiu]

That's a nice way to say most farm animals will be near extinction levels unless we keep them alive.

[@Bruced82]

Farm animals were created by us with selective breeding, they did not exist in the wild in that form, they are quite apart from their original ancestors, so this point is moot. Not even taking into account there are way too many, and they often suffer greatly, they'd rather not exist at all.

[@filipasplund5458]

I am more interested of knowing how the world would look like if food waste disappeared over night rather what would happen if everyone became vegans. Meat tributes 2% of the world’s greenhouse gases emissions while food waste tributes even more! I think the forests and the climate would benefit more if we were more conscious of what we are throwing out than if everyone would make a radical change in our lifestyle that many people are not prepared to make!

[@primaveral-s8s]

For all the statistics about greenhouse gas emissions in this video, they don't provide one in the context of other sources of greenhouse gas emissions. While there are many environmental benefits, the greenhouse gas emissions from not eating meat would be barely noticeable.

[@TravelswithanArchaeologist]

I'm sorry, pesticide use would drop? It would be quite the opposite! What do you think pesticide is used for, keeping fleas off of pigs?

[@AnnanypratapSingh]

Most pesticides are used in growing food like hay for animals. More area is covered by food crops solely for animals than humans. This is because less than 10% of the calorie intake of animals is passed to next in the food chain. The pesticides used in those crops are more dangerous to soil due to lack of regulations for what and what not animals are allowed to eat

[@heartnsoullove]

Those health benefits and global footprint reductions sound great, but I’m trying to imagine living in a world with only vegan pizza restaurants and vegan tailgating parties. Vegan family reunions. That sounds miserable 😢

[@chlorophycophyta]

Vegan diet does not give as much calories per volume, so for every land area of dairy use greater land area for plant based production is used up for equivalent production.

[@somecat22]

simply false, if that were true, literally the laws of thermodynamics would be disproven.

[@venkatsai9774]

"Fewer Cheetahs would be shot for stalking too close to livestock" How would the cheetahs have survived until this point if there were no game?

[@RagingRaccoon-po8kn]

Haven’t eaten all day studying for a final and I stumbled upon this. Watching it and the people arguing in the comments surely made me even more hungry for a beef burrito.

[@cybersekkin]

Animal farming comes to a grand total of 14.5% of greenhouse gasses. Construction has a much larger footprint. By some accounts construction is over 4 times as large as that of animal farming. This is like arguing over a dime and ignoring the quarters and half dollars in the cost of a dollar meal.

[@mitkoogrozev]

Greenhouse gasses by themselves are a small part of the problem. If we could just remove ALL emissions, but not change anything else, we would still be heading for self-destruction. We simply use up too much land, destroyed too much of the biosphere, and we use resources faster than they can regenerate, while disrupting the natural carbon and nitrogen cycles, diminishing or stopping the ability of the regenerative processes we depend on to continue. Diminishing our footprint , which switching to all plant based would do, would buy us some time. But ultimately we not only have to diminish our footprint, but also gotta change farming practices and ditch fossil fuel fertilizers it seems, and be more integrated part of the cycles of the biosphere for our long term survival, based on what I've heard recently from biologists, ecologists and people that have worked in agriculture and the mining industry.

[@sor3999]

Sources plz

[@cybersekkin]

@@sor3999 Find the source six months later - lol start here with the US at 10% www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions and do some digging on cement and concrete, they are sneaky about hiding the impact of construction on the environment. Instead of totals they split it up into parts.

[@amazingplayground09]

red meat is crazy expensive nowadays, i cant even remember when i was able to eat one. i raise chickens so meat is no problem but veggie prices are beginning to rise same with fish, thats why i limit my diet with local produce only. im not complaining but a change is always welcome.

[@oliviar2055]

One question though … how would you fertilize the land ? Natural fertilizers come from cattle waste soooo that would mean we would need to synthesize it which is not a very good idea …

[@ingeniando3d219]

You just failed to learn that farming doesn't polute, the managing does, or even does the opposite

[@uhhuh9773]

i was vegetarian for 3 years and a little more. I did like it at first, but I went vegetarian at around 14 or 13. My family loved meats so they were confused. Some supported, but for the most part I was struggling. I would barely eat food and when I did eat a good meal I was very happy that I didn't eat meat. My problem was back then is that I didn't know to properly cook vegetarian foods, or even know how to be "vegetarian". I was just following the rules of it. I think if people learned more they would understand. Oh, and another big part that switched me back to an omnivore was that I didn't have too many options eating out. I got tired of the same meals and wanted something new. It would be better if vegetarians had more options eating out. At the end of the day I chose to go back, and I don't really regret it. I don't even eat too much either, maybe a bit of chicken during a tuesday and the meat on the weekend because I go out. Other than that I just eat yummy grains and veggies

[@Bruced82]

It certainly got easier to be vegetarian than ever, lots of good substitutes, lab grown hopefully keeps progressing. I know plenty of omnivores, who have 1-2 day of vegan a week nowadays, because they like the taste and option. Most important is to be aware of what we eat, nobody needs tons of meat to be healthy, it is being overconsumed.

[@pathfinder1273]

I applaud your efforts, and I know how challenging it can be to avoid meat and dairy. But with the internet, there is an endless supply of information and videos on how anyone can prepare simple, quick, and affordable vegan dishes. There are even online courses that show how to plan meals, prep your food for weekly meals, and even grow your own food indoors. It may sound noble to say that you only eat a bit of chicken or meat each week, but keep in mind that it is impossible to take a bit of meat off of a chicken or cow without killing the entire animal.

[@uhhuh9773]

@@Bruced82 I got tired of it

[@uhhuh9773]

@@pathfinder1273 Yes, that’s all true, but like I said I got tired of having the same options. If you wanted to get something fancier then it’s expensive. Not many options when going out with family. Yes, animals die but that’s honestly just how life goes. I have a chickens and I’m aware everyday when I go out to take care of them that I literally eat chicken. It doesn’t bother me, and it’s ok to not want to be pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan. Some pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan meals are great and taste amazing. But I’d rather not be dissatisfied, I’d rather be happy. And if an animal dies but makes a meal more enjoyable for me then that’s great and they didn’t die for nothing.

[@pathfinder1273]

​@@uhhuh9773 Perhaps you should have specified that you were vegetarian for the sake of convenience. Its common to assume that people who post on a video like this have an issue to address, and not just share some trivia. For example, they are concerned about the suffering of animals, about which you couldnt care less; or they are concerned about the environment, with the same result for you; or they feel strongly about health issues, again a big zero for you. But you just wanted people to know that you did something and now you dont.

[@paritoshjha28]

Non vegetarians would be triggered 😂💀

[@augustinesim1672]

How does habitat loss, pesticide use and other pressures from agriculture subside if you need that land that once belonged to cattle to grow more vegetables and fruits? You need pesticides to keep the pests away and I don't know how it prevents habitat loss when more food to grow requires deforestation? also, the fields are probably going to be mono

[@kn7892]

the land that was used to grow food for animals will be available to grow food directly for humans, which is way more efficient, so we would need less space. this also means there is no reason to need more pesticides. and also, before it wasn't mono?

[@m.ahussain4005]

​@@kn7892Not really, just a few cows can feed hundreds of people yet you would need thousands of veg to feed just a few people. Therefore, yes you would need to build more fields to feed an equivalent amount that an animal farm used to feed. Let's not forget that the grain we use feed animals is a lot easier to grow requiring few pesticides compared to veg grown for human consumption.

[@BlackJacked]

You don't need as much land, that's the point.

[@BlackJacked]

@@m.ahussain4005 Yeah pal that is not true at all, and there is a much greater yield when it comes to crops per acre vs. rearing animal flesh.

[@mitkoogrozev]

@@m.ahussain4005 You don't count a cow vs number of plants. That doesn't tell you anything useful. You check how much resources, energy and land you need to produce equivalent level of calories and nutrients from plants vs animal tissue. And plants come waaaaay on top.

[@Mary-J-OK]

I just don't buy the part about us being able to get all we need from plants. I've witnessed the ailing health and obvious physical lacking in so many vegans and I've listened to other nutritionalists who really say the opposite. I was a vegetarian but I got sick and started eating meat again. Do people (esp. in the USA) eat too much meat? Most definitely. People eat too much in general. I would like to see a video about reducing by half - or even just cutting out fast food retailers portion.

[@lambda1617]

You cannot use any kind of land to grow vegetables, you need land that meets a specific acidity and has the necessary minerals. Almost only grass can be grown on a lot of the fields used to feed cattle and sadly we cannot eat grass, unlike cows

[@atruenut]

This is not true. Almost any land can be used to grow vegetables using regenerative practices. And many plants can grow in a range of pH levels. On the other hand many cattle operations have severely degraded the land they used for grazing. Also the majority of farmland is used to grow feed for animals in the first place since most are fed in feedlots, so the whole system is inefficient.

[@muhammadshaheem1326]

I think its a bit too positive like when you gonna tell me the downsides or are you telling me there are no downsides which is very suspicious

[@hollystop]

They did? They said that cultures that rely on meat would suffer. That’s the only downside XD

[@nadeemTYU]

Most land currently used for live stock can not be used to grow edible food for humans, which means a loottttttt more land is needed to sustain humans on just veggies, which means a lottttt more water. There are a lot of down sides but people like to ignore it.

[@hollystop]

@@nadeemTYU you do realize that food has to be grown to feed animals…. Right? Think of factory farmed chickens- they have to be fed grains! Grains we could eat instead XD

[@chickenleg440]

@@hollystop or you know chickens could eat things like worms, insects, berries, grasses, or even small rodents

[@hollystop]

@@chickenleg440 thats not what chickens are fed though.... we raise BILLIONS of them every year.

[@sluk9999]

This is a very brief conclusion of how life would be and how earth would be without meat. In order for us to sustain, we will still use pesticide, herbicide and lots of other chemicals to grow crops which still pollute water atmosphere and everything around us. It could have brought even more harm. Also our atmosphere don’t just drop the greenhouse gas overnight. A lot of the greenhouse gas lingers in the atmosphere for a long time( hundreds thousands of years..) as for the health part, I do agree but we just need to be very careful with the food we choose, otherwise veganism might lead to deficiencies in certain nutrients (I am not attacking people who go for vegan…❤)

[@duran9664]

🛑FACT🛑 Most plants 🌱 r full with poisons ☠️ to protect them from predators like humans🤏Such poisons kill humans slowly 🤏

[@NavaracVolare]

No, you're wrong

[@PUREFICTION]

As Human Beings, we have been Hunting or Domesticating animals for our Consumption, well it cannot be completely discontinued or removed entirely. Still, it can Indeed be decreased for the growing population, and to include the world depicted like above the consumption of Meat can be stopped with strict rules and conditions. Still, the presence of Domesticated animals cannot be removed and it does pose a threat as these animals outnumbering us would require 3 times as much food as we need.

[@hopperchopperstudio3685]

That is a common misconception. Animals would not overpopulate. People keep re using the same arguments without listen to the response.

[@sanz1996_]

The representation is wrong here Total food, agriculture/ land use related green house emissions is 24% So we will be redusing 60% of 24% Industries, transportation, electricity and heat generation produce 60% of total green house gasses Focus on bigger problem first rather than obsessing over a niche.

[@pamfullerton5334]

I will never give up meat. We’ve been eating it since man has walked upright.

[@landongreen7510]

I can go with without beef, but no milk? DAMN YOU VEGGIE WIZARD!

[@truth-12345.]

It's not just the meat, it's the processed ones are suspicious.

[@yogawamakoto]

I am from Japan.I feel like very few Japanese people avoid eating meat and fish. I think Japanese people including me have to raise awareness of vegetarianism for the environment.

[@men-om6ue]

the only thing that helps the enviroment is not wasting food and using less fossile fuels

[@keeyip319]

I believe the Japanese should also reduce their packaging. While everything they sell looks pretty and nice, it pains me to see each item individually wrapped with multiple layers, often 2-5 layers deep.

[@90JOLED]

People saying stopping eating meat tells me they don’t really understand how things works…

[@silvereyes000]

Is it possible to feed the entire population with plants alone? How much do you have to produce? How many hectares of land should you cultivate?

[@iacustodio8559]

Livestock animals consumes more grains and seeds than humans

[@t.f.r287]

As a bengali, i can't think of a life without chicken, beef and fishes. Beef in my household is usually eaten on holidays like Eid, birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Chicken is an integral part of my diet, i don't like consuming only veggies as i feel i am missing something. Only the poverty striken in my country live on rice and veggies, can't convince the rest of the populace.

[@ryan-w]

I would like to see this video peer reviewed...it is correct in lots of ways, however it is very slanted and unscientific in a few ways.

[@Roschl]

What do you think is unscientific about it?

[@aarongrooves]

I've been vegetarian for 5 or 6 years, and I feel great. I'll never forget, about 3-4 days in I felt different. Just lighter overall. And my digestive system is so much more efficient! P.S. I still eat light meat sometimes when traveling, and occasional fish. Not all cities are as vegetarian-friendly as LA lol.

[@johnnyearp52]

Then you are a mostly vegetarian.

[@Ains02]

02:48 I don't understand. Habitat loss is due to clearing of forest to make way for farmlands, and farms use pesticides too.

[@specdel]

Huge increase in the need for fertilisers and sprays to grow all the plant based food but hang on, the veggies all want ORGANIC food. That only works with mixed farming with livestock providing the soil fertility. You could, instead have rotations which leave the land fallow for two seasons but I thought she said much less land would be required for agriculture? It is widely accepted that a purely vegetarian agriculture would require 3 to 5 times as much land to be used for arable crops because much of the land used for livestock is not suitable for anything other than growing grass.

[@danmkhv]

I stopped eating meat over 2 years ago and I also eat chicken and some types of fish. I do have lack of iron every once I am year, and yes I am skinny as duck 🦆

[@luckrequired5382]

I live on coffee and pop tarts, I'm ready for the steak free future

[@Sadkiller100]

Lol

[@Roy-G-Biv]

[@christyieong2327]

😂😂😂

[@hopperchopperstudio3685]

coffer has milk pop tarts have gelatine

[@OybekUsmonjonov-bv6pg]

Thank you tad ed😊

[@crimeminister7391]

Most nutritionists believe an omnivorous diet is best. Get that fact right

[@Bruced82]

More than 65-70g of meat per day is unhealthy, many people are magnitudes above it.

[@mundaneinsignia1929]

Lol, stopping meat consumption is not the solution at all. The problems are guilty corporations, fossil fuels, and heck agriculture consumes more water than farm animals does.

[@ifyouwantoreplyjustclickth5063]

Its a collective thing. Mass produced factory farming, greedy unethical corporations, car pollution, fossil fuels, overconsumption on materials,instant gratification, etc. Not eating meat isnt the only redemption for earth is basically what im saying.

[@jouaienttoi]

Animals consume far more water than crops, because animals need to eat crops as well. Meat doesn't just magically form. It is worse in every possible way.

[@amachtinger]

But have you ever had a beautifully cooked and wonderfully spiced rib eye steak?