It’s an infamous debate. One that Miss Montana USA recently brought back into the spotlight. Whether or not your diet contributes enough to our carbon footprint to justify giving up a certain product to “save the planet.” When people claim to remove meat from their diets, I can’t help but feel that this is a misguided attempt to help the planet.
This is what I have to say to those people:
You’re giving up meat because it’s convenient for you. If giving up using or charging your cell-phone or devices, driving your car, The Bachelorette viewing parties every week, washing your clothes, cooking your veggie burger(I am by no means against plant-based foods because I think there is a need for them and farmers are still benefiting from the market), throwing away half the plate of food you didn’t eat, buying brand new clothes instead of buying from thrift stores, daily coffee runs, flying, taking showers, not using plastics or harmful chemicals, moving into newly developed homes that have bought up and gotten rid of ranch land, along with many other things…if all of these were easy for you, you would give those up, but they aren’t as easy. You’re still contributing to GHG emissions in far more drastic ways than what your diet consists of.
It’s not because you necessarily want to do the right thing, because no one person has the ability to determine what is right or wrong. It’s because you found something that was convenient and fit your lifestyle. You’re wanting to contribute to saving the planet but are only doing it in ways that work well for you. We all do because otherwise, we would be living a much different life.
People who consume meat, people who produce meat, they are helping the planet in ways you must not understand. But, you don’t have to, because you’re able to get by in life by eating whatever you choose because it’s easy for you.
Tell this to the family, or entire countries, who are struggling to feed their people. By telling people they should eat plant-based foods exclusively is ignoring their true needs and what they can afford or what is accessible to them, and what is actually healthy for them.
Unless you’re growing the food to feed the population, or buying food for those in need, you shouldn’t be preaching to others what they should eat. Having the ability to choose your diet is a luxury- to put it simply. What it isn’t, is a way to reduce environmental impact, there are so many other ways you contribute to GHG emissions daily, like the aforementioned list, that need our attention and effort.
So, let’s stop pushing our agendas on everyone and let’s eat what we want because that makes us happier and a happier society works together to prevent hunger and reduce environmental impact. It’s time to focus on the important things and not ourselves.
The views and ideas shared by Ag Writer Markie do not necessarily reflect the views and ideas of My Job Depends on Ag Magazine.
