The vegan diet means daily good deeds for the environment
Our current food choices overconsume the Earth’s resources and threaten our own wellbeing. Despite this, unsustainable forms of food production continue to grow. For instance, Finnish people eat more meat than ever before.
When it comes to the world’s food production, the problem isn’t population growth – it is the increased consumption of animal products. Grains are produced increasingly for animal fodder instead of human consumption. Our current volume of grain production could feed the Earth’s entire growing population if it were used directly to feed humans.
Awareness of the environmental effects of our food choices reinforces the decision to make our food habits more sustainable – for animals as well as the whole environment. By giving up or cutting down on animal products, we can foster an ecologically and ethically sustainable food culture both locally and globally.
Meat production causes pollution and wastes resources
Animal farming causes a major portion of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, food production is estimated to cause a third of the world’s emissions, most of which come from animal production 1. The environmental impact of meat-based dishes is multiple times that of plant-based ones. Out of all animal products, beef causes the most climate emissions 2.
Compared to the production of plant-based food, the factory farming of animals requires considerably more resources, such as farmland and clean water. It also pollutes bodies of water and reduces biodiversity.
The food given to animals could be used to feed humans
Animals are fed on various crops which require vast areas of farmland to grow. The efficiency of animal production is poor; for instance, producing one kilogram of meat requires around ten kilograms of plant fodder. Animals are often fed on soy and grains which humans could also eat directly.
Finland imports soy fodder from South America, where soy farming is connected to the logging of rainforests. Forests are cleared to make way for farmland to produce fodder and farm cattle. Most soy imported to Europe comes from Brazil, Argentina and the United States. Out of the soy imported to Finland, around 95% is used as animal fodder. Poultry farming (broiler meat and eggs) uses the most soy 3. Feeding plant-based food that is suitable for human consumption to animals is an inefficient use of resources. The soy could just as well be used to feed humans. In Finland, it is estimated that 70% of farmland is used to produce fodder for animals 4.
Manure pollutes bodies of water
Animal agriculture consumes a lot of water. For instance, producing half a kilogram of beef consumes as much water as daily showers for six months. All in all, producing one kilogram of beef requires 5 000 to 15 000 liters of water, which is around ten times as much compared to grains, soybeans or other legumes 5.
In Finland, there is no shortage of water. However, the effects of animal agriculture are not limited to the use of fresh water. Animal farming eutrophicates bodies of water and is the main cause of the toxic mats of blue-green algae that form each summer around the coast of Finland. This is due to the massive amounts of manure that is generated especially in Finland Proper and on the western coast, where animal agriculture is most common. Transporting manure elsewhere is expensive, which is why more farmland is cleared for spreading manure, or too much manure is spread onto existing fields. From the fields, the nutrients in the manure trickle into bodies of water and cause eutrophication 6.
Biodiversity
Intensive agriculture decreases biodiversity. Pesticides and monocultures of single crops have a detrimental effect on nature. On a global scale, food production based on intensive agriculture considerably weakens natural biodiversity and accelerates deforestation.
Many food products used by Finns come from abroad. As a consequence, we impair natural biodiversity in other parts of the world. It has been estimated that 90% of the environmental impacts of Finnish food consumption are felt outside Finnish borders 7.
Animal farming impairs natural biodiversity considerably due to the massive amounts of resources it requires on a global scale. Worldwide, around 55 billion land animals are slaughtered each year, half of which are reared on factory farms 8. In Finland alone, around 80 million farm animals are slaughtered each year – an enormous quantity considering Finland’s small population. This number does not include egg-laying chickens or farmed fish 9. Farming such numbers of animals requires substantial resources – farmland, food, water, and energy. It also produces enormous amounts of waste.
The diversity of marine flora and fauna is also under threat. Most of the world’s fish populations used for food production have been overfished and are on the brink of collapse 10. In addition, many fishing methods, such as the use of dragnets, are highly detrimental to other marine nature. Finns eat a lot of Norwegian salmon, whose climate impacts are bigger than those of poultry. Norwegian salmon is also unethical, because the fish have been intensively bred to the point of sickness and suffer from extreme stress 11. Fish farming also eutrophicates water systems.
Writers:
Lotte Suveri, MA
Taru Konst, PhD, Lic.Sc
Practical tips for environmentally responsible eating
- Explore new plant-based recipes – the internet offers countless options! You could also try making your favorite recipes and simply replacing animal products with plant-based ones. Dairy products can be replaced with vegan substitutes, such as plant-based milks, creams, yogurts, and ice creams. Meat can be replaced with plant-based proteins made from e.g. beans, oats, pea protein, or wheat gluten.
- Turn a trip to the grocery store into a new, exciting adventure! See if you can find vegan ingredients and foods that you’ve seen mentioned in recipes. The selection of vegan ready meals is also surprisingly wide.
- Ask your vegan acquaintances for tips.
- Take part in the Vegan Challenge (https://vegaanihaaste.fi/) and check out The Finnish Vegan Association’s recipe pages: https://vegaaniliitto.fi/kategoria/reseptit/
- Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid throwing out food. A third of the world’s food is currently wasted.
- Nowadays, most restaurants can provide a vegan option by request even if there isn’t one on the menu.