What If The World Went Vegetarian?

Summary

This video explores the hypothetical scenario where everyone becomes vegetarian and its potential impact on the environment and society. It discusses the significant land and water savings, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the loss of byproducts like leather. It also touches on the livelihood challenges for farmers reliant on livestock. The creators of AsapSCIENCE, who are not vegetarians themselves, experiment with a vegetarian diet for 21 days to understand the lifestyle better.

Takeaways

• 🌍 If everyone became vegetarian, it would free up approximately 33 million square kilometers of land currently used for livestock farming.
• 🌱 Without livestock, some of this land could revert to grasslands or forests, potentially aiding in countering climate change.
• 🐄 Livestock production accounts for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all transportation combined.
• 💧 A vegetarian diet would significantly reduce water consumption, with meat production requiring much more water per calorie than plant-based foods.
• 🔥 Methane from livestock, which is 25 times more potent than CO2 in warming the planet, would be greatly reduced with a global vegetarian diet.
• 👢 The disappearance of livestock would affect industries relying on byproducts like leather and animal fats, necessitating increased production of plant-based alternatives.
• 🌾 An increase in vegetarianism could lead to less land being restored to natural states due to the need for more agricultural land for plant crops.
• 🏭 Over 1 billion people are employed in raising and processing animals; a shift to vegetarianism could disrupt their livelihoods.
• 📈 The trend in countries like India and China is towards increased meat consumption as wealth grows, which could offset vegetarianism's environmental benefits.
• 🥗 The video creators at AsapSCIENCE experimented with a vegetarian diet for 21 days, highlighting the personal impact and considerations of dietary choices.

Q & A

What is the global rate of vegetarianism?

The global rate of vegetarianism varies, with about 4-5% in the US and Canada, and over 30% in India.

How many animals are there globally for meat production?

There are approximately 20 billion chickens, 1.5 billion cows, over a billion sheep, and nearly a billion pigs in the world.

How much land is used for pasture globally?

About 33 million square kilometers of land are used for pasture, which is an area about the size of Africa.

What could happen to the land currently used for pasture if everyone became vegetarian?

Without human intervention, some of this land could turn to desert, but if properly managed, it could return to grasslands or forests, potentially helping to counteract climate change.

How does livestock production contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions?

Livestock production is responsible for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all forms of transportation combined.

What is the impact of a vegetarian diet on water consumption?

A vegetarian diet would greatly reduce water consumption, as it takes significantly less water to produce plant-based foods compared to meat.

What are the water requirements for different types of meat and plant-based foods?

It takes 15,000 liters to make a kilogram of beef, 6,000 liters for pork, 4,000 liters for chicken, 1,600 liters for cereal crops, 900 liters for fruit, and 300 liters for garden vegetables.

What are some of the byproducts of livestock that might become more expensive or unavailable if everyone became vegetarian?

Byproducts like leather from animal hides and animal fats used in cosmetics, candles, and detergents might become scarcer or more expensive.

How does the meat industry affect employment for people worldwide?

Raising and processing animals is a full-time job for over 1 billion people, many of whom are small-scale farmers in the developing world.

What is the current trend in meat consumption in countries like India and China?

In countries like India and China, as people become wealthier, they tend to consume more meat, which counteracts the declines in meat consumption seen in other countries.

What did the AsapSCIENCE team do to explore the impact of vegetarianism?

The AsapSCIENCE team tried going vegetarian for 21 days straight as an experiment, which they documented in their AsapTHOUGHT episode.