We’ve all heard that the alarming rise in measurable greenhouse gas particles in our Earth’s atmosphere is driving the growing crisis of global climate change. That, in turn, is leading to sea level rise, extreme weather events, species extinctions, toxic air pollution, coral reef destruction and, potentially, human habitat devastation, climate refugees, widespread hunger and more.

As concerned citizens, we want to do our part to save the earth by conserving as much energy as we can, carpooling, recycling, using fuel-efficient transportation, turning out lights we don’t need and so on.

These efforts certainly help. But many of us – particularly first-world citizens – are unknowingly participating in an activity every day that is the single greatest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Yet we are largely unaware of the damaging consequences of this activity as it is almost never brought to our attention.

You may think that transportation and industry are the worst greenhouse gas emitting sectors. And it is true that, together, they account for nearly half of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But did you know that up to 51% or more of greenhouse gas emissions may be attributable to animal agriculture? Estimates for animal agriculture impacts range widely from 9% (EPA) to over 51% (Worldwatch Institute). Calculations typically include the raising, feeding, slaughtering and processing of livestock. The estimates vary so widely due to the inclusion or exclusion of figures for related activities such as fertilizer production and transport for the growing of crops to feed animals, manufacture and transportation of antibiotics and other additives given to livestock, transporting animals to and from slaughterhouses, emissions resulting from untreated manure deposits, transportation of finished products to consumers, loss of carbon mitigation resulting from rainforests razed to grow feed for livestock and so on.

So, taking into account all related factors, the resulting emissions contribution of animal agriculture reaches a shocking 51% or more, according to a Worldwatch Institute report.* Even the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has declared that livestock are among “the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.**”

In addition to the staggering amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions resulting from animal agriculture, it is estimated that we give our livestock over 60% of the world’s grain and 30% of the land surface on Earth. Over 90% of the Amazon rainforest cleared since 1970 is used for grazing livestock or growing animal feed. Raising livestock is extremely resource intensive, requiring huge amounts of water to grow crops for feed, clean filthy facilities and provide water for animals to drink. It is estimated that over 2,400 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of beef.*** All this grain, water and land used for livestock could instead be directed to feed the hundreds of millions of people who go hungry every day.

The industrial scale in which we are raising livestock today also creates an enormous amount of pollution in the form of untreated excrement that often ends up polluting our rivers and lakes creating aquatic dead zones, contaminating soils and groundwater, and transmitting disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

So, if you are interested in contributing to a greener, cleaner, more sustainable planet, shifting away from an animal-based diet can have a significant impact on both greenhouse gas reduction as well as resource conservation and general environmental health. While this is not an easy shift for everyone, abundant resources are readily available for anyone interested in learning how to move away from eating animals. There are also a plentitude of food products and restaurants that support meatless meals, along with a welcoming and supportive vegan and vegetarian community. Your local bookstore or an internet search will yield plenty of information on the subject. You can also order a free Vegetarian Starter Kit online.

And, not incidentally, eliminating the consumption of meat also contributes to a more compassionate and humane world. The factory farming, industrial agriculture system we have created to produce the obscenely excessive amount of meat products that are entirely unnecessary to maintain human health, causes unspeakable misery and suffering for the nearly 10 billion animals we raise annually to kill in the U.S. alone. 10 billion. In one year. You can choose to opt out of supporting this cruel and exploitative system.

Help the environment, help feed more people and help reduce cruelty. It all adds up to a good choice. And by turning away from consuming animals and animal products, there is also a good chance you will lose weight, gain mental clarity, enjoy improved health, feel empowered to make more self-affirming choices, and you’ll probably save yourself some money too! There’s no time like now to get started!

* http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294

** http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/News/2006/1000448/index.html

***http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/