You can save the world right now.

[fuzzlebug]

Sure simply changing your diet is but the first step towards something great, and no, I don't have all the solutions to the issues of what will happen to all the animals and people who depend on the meat industry to get by. But saying these animals NEED the meat industry to survive makes no sense? The reason there are so many farm animals is cause we breed them on an industrial scale, get rid of the demand for meat and then there's no need to keep mass producing meat, so over the months or years that follow the number of domesticated animals will decrease, and then its a case of going back to having the wild, free roaming animals of the past, and that would surely benefit these animals as they no longer are treated horribly and there would be a food source for wild predators as well.
And i don't no if there is or isn't another habitable planets out there, but saying that it's just human nature to destroy ourselves and it'll be OK cause there MAY be another world for us out there is a horrible way to think, and incredibly selfish as your just saying "ahh screw it, it won't be my problem" and leaving our mess for someone else to clean up. You'd rather be the virus than the cure?
Ask any doctor, dietician or nutrients specialist, they'll all tell you you can eat a vegan diet and suffer no I'll health effects, and you would be benefiting yourself. Also those canines, the ones that have changed over thousands of years, go try and bite thru a raw steak, see how far you get.
I'm passionate about this, and that make come across as holier than thou, but truth be told I'm scared of were we are heading and what legacy I will leave my children, grandchildren and so on so I choose to act. I'm one person and this is a way I can have a positive effect.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Sure simply changing your diet is but the first step towards something great, and no, I don't have all the solutions to the issues of what will happen to all the animals and people who depend on the meat industry to get by. But saying these animals NEED the meat industry to survive makes no sense? The reason there are so many farm animals is cause we breed them on an industrial scale, get rid of the demand for meat and then there's no need to keep mass producing meat, so over the months or years that follow the number of domesticated animals will decrease, and then its a case of going back to having the wild, free roaming animals of the past, and that would surely benefit these animals as they no longer are treated horribly and there would be a food source for wild predators as well.
And i don't no if there is or isn't another habitable planets out there, but saying that it's just human nature to destroy ourselves and it'll be OK cause there MAY be another world for us out there is a horrible way to think, and incredibly selfish as your just saying "ahh screw it, it won't be my problem" and leaving our mess for someone else to clean up. You'd rather be the virus than the cure?
Ask any doctor, dietician or nutrients specialist, they'll all tell you you can eat a vegan diet and suffer no I'll health effects, and you would be benefiting yourself. Also those canines, the ones that have changed over thousands of years, go try and bite thru a raw steak, see how far you get.
I'm passionate about this, and that make come across as holier than thou, but truth be told I'm scared of were we are heading and what legacy I will leave my children, grandchildren and so on so I choose to act. I'm one person and this is a way I can have a positive effect.

No. Wrong. I did not say screw it and that someone else can deal with my mess. You are reading my differing opinion on your topic and assuming that is my mentality. I am for helping the planet and preserving natural resources as I enjoy nature. I love to hunt, fish, and just generally be in the world around me. You assuming switching the world to an all vegan diet MAY save the planet in which I countered the point with how do you know? I don't know that there is any other planet with the resources capable of our kind inhabiting it with any amount of success (though with research dictating the amount of planets that exist its highly likely). What I do know is regardless of how the world is operating in regards to primary food sources there will always be a person to capitalize on said source. There is no arguing that corruption takes hold of all principles in life on this planet and that will absolutely include your vegan world as well. My argument is that people will always be corrupt, will always struggle for power, and will always try to find a way to take advantage of something regardless of original intention. You want to save the world, a million others want to rule it. Again, the planet is not doomed, we as a species are.

How far would I get on a raw steak? Not very because I prefer mine cooked. I thank the folks that discovered fire for that. We had, and as for me still have, appendix for a reason. I would surmise this means we as a species are omnivores and that an all vegan diet seems impractical. The organ itself is virtually useless now only because we learned how to prepare raw food not because we are evolving into giant rabbits.

 

[fuzzlebug]

A vegan diet is, in my experience as a vegan, not impractical, and yes we CAN digest meat, although we do it very badly, but I choose to not, as its unnecessary and cruel. So why do it? It's animals suffering cause you like the taste?

 

[Aquanero]

Let's say we all stop eating meat, we all go vegan, vegetarian whatever. In a hundred years someone on some obscure website will start a thread asking everyone to stop eating vegetables the atmosphere is becoming saturated with methane "SAVE THE CABBAGE" will be the montra for saving the earth. The earth isn't going anywhere, we might not be here but the earth will soldier on.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

A vegan diet is, in my experience as a vegan, not impractical, and yes we CAN digest meat, although we do it very badly, but I choose to not, as its unnecessary and cruel. So why do it? It's animals suffering cause you like the taste?

Can you prove all meat will "be digested badly" or is it just the chemical laden crap they spew out in fast food joints? If my body has several components pointing towards the consumption of meat being a part of a balanced diet, regardless of how they've evolved/regressed over the years, that's evidence enough for anyone that the human body is designed to digest both plant and animal based nutrition. Are you telling me the animals I hunt or the fish I catch aren't necessary and is a cruel act to eat them? Or are we simply speaking of the way good ol' consumerism has turned meat production into a moral compass spinning ride from hell? You can't fix the problem but treating the symptoms haha.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Let's say we all stop eating meat, we all go vegan, vegetarian whatever. In a hundred years someone on some obscure website will start a thread asking everyone to stop eating vegetables the atmosphere is becoming saturated with methane "SAVE THE CABBAGE" will be the montra for saving the earth. The earth isn't going anywhere, we might not be here but the earth will soldier on.

Exactly. As my worst/best professor in college said:
"I quit worrying about the earth and what we do to it years ago because guess what? Long after we've destroyed ourselves the earth will continue doing earthly things. New species come and go but the earth will persist"

That coming from the biggest eco-terroristesque SOB I've ever met, hated and agreed with before.

 

[convict360]

Yeah I agree that we will be long gone before anything happens to Earth, that's not me inviting debate about global warming; the point I'm making is that humans are quite literally going to be an imperceptible spark in the life of Earth itself. Given the way the world is going, I'd bet dietary morals are going to be at the very last of our concerns soon.

 

[skjl47]

Sure simply changing your diet is but the first step towards something great, and no, I don't have all the solutions to the issues of what will happen to all the animals and people who depend on the meat industry to get by. But saying these animals NEED the meat industry to survive makes no sense? The reason there are so many farm animals is cause we breed them on an industrial scale, get rid of the demand for meat and then there's no need to keep mass producing meat, so over the months or years that follow the number of domesticated animals will decrease, and then its a case of going back to having the wild, free roaming animals of the past, and that would surely benefit these animals as they no longer are treated horribly and there would be a food source for wild predators as well.
And i don't no if there is or isn't another habitable planets out there, but saying that it's just human nature to destroy ourselves and it'll be OK cause there MAY be another world for us out there is a horrible way to think, and incredibly selfish as your just saying "ahh screw it, it won't be my problem" and leaving our mess for someone else to clean up. You'd rather be the virus than the cure?
Ask any doctor, dietician or nutrients specialist, they'll all tell you you can eat a vegan diet and suffer no I'll health effects, and you would be benefiting yourself. Also those canines, the ones that have changed over thousands of years, go try and bite thru a raw steak, see how far you get.
I'm passionate about this, and that make come across as holier than thou, but truth be told I'm scared of were we are heading and what legacy I will leave my children, grandchildren and so on so I choose to act. I'm one person and this is a way I can have a positive effect.

Hello; I just read thru this thread. I fear you have missed an important point, perhaps two. First any reduction in the amount of food stocks, specifically foods that can be consumed by humans, fed to domesticated animals will likely wind up being fed to people and that in turn will likely increase the human population. Too many examples of human populations increasing to match the food supply to be ignored.
To use one example only ; corn. People and animals can eat corn. You are essentially correct in that the corn fed to animals could feed up to ten times as many people. My take is that such an increase in the human food supply will eventually lead to an increase in the human population. Considering that people are likely to have a bigger environmental impact than other animals, this should lead to a similar or even an enhanced impact on the world.
There are food stocks available for animals that people cannot eat directly. Grass for example. People will continue to eat grass that has been converted into meat either from wild or domesticated animals.
I feel you have missed a second point. Some others have already mentioned this point in posts and do get it. The issues facing the world that we humans are responsible for have to do with the sheer numbers of the human population. I do not think what we eat has as much of an impact as does how many of us there are. You mention having children and grandchildren. Back around 1975 I came to the conclusion that human population is the biggest impact as far as environmental impacts are concerned. I decided to be childless and had a vasectomy. Since that time the human population has continued to increase exponentially. I believe it has more than doubled in my lifetime. I suspect that my decision will have the greater positive impact. The children and grandchildren I did not have are not competing for resources today.

 

[fuzzlebug]

You are correct, the earth will soldier on after we are gone, probably. But why make it and ourselves suffer in the meantime? That's like giving someone a routine surgery and not giving them pain meds. Why? Cause they will survive without, so why bother? It's the easy way out that requires the least amount of effort and has the maximum consequences, which in our case would be extinction.
And yes hunting is cruel and unnecessary, you don't NEED that meat, so why go out and kill it? There's plenty at the supermarket? And in terms of digesting meat, it doesnt matter if its wild or factory bred, our intestines aren't good at digesting it. Look at a carnivors digestive track, its shorter than ours and has much more concentrated stomach acid. My argument isn't if we can or can't physically eat meat, but whether if we should?

 

[fuzzlebug]

I don't think you should use the fact that the human population may or may not continue to increase, we don't know what will happen in the futere, as an argument for doing nothing and just letting whatever may happen happen. Let's deal with our environment first, then worry about where everyone will live, cause we have the capabilities to feed everyone and then some on earth a vegan diet, which if varied and balanced, is exceptionally good for your health.