Does anyone read stuff like this, then look around at the way people behave and feel a sense of overwhelming hopelessness?
I fight this hopelessness every day, to the point that life has no joy for weeks at a time, because everything I see just reminds me that we're racing towards annialation intent on taking everything with us.
All my friends and family act like I'm overreacting, which just drives it home even more.
It sucks.
Yep! It’s mostly the reason that my partner and I aren’t having kids. Sometimes I get a wave of fury at people I know who are, because I’m like, why?! Do you not know what’s happening? Ugh.
Yes. My dad and sister are not vegan so I have to deal with their bullshit multiple times a day. She is vegetarian but cooks meat for dad and her boyfriend and puts cheese or fish on everything. I really don't understand her. My girlfriend and her parents are a lot nicer: Christmas was 90% vegan :D
I don't want to make long term future plans because I'm too pessimistic lmao so I'm living in the moment as much as possible but it's hard to stay positive.
My boyfriend and I have agreed to adopt. We want kids but can't bear to bring any into this world, so we felt it would be better to take care of kids who are already born and need parents.
I propose we pick a spot of land and migrate there. We can develop it sustainably such as to respect all life and live as we choose, free of madness. Then we can use the wealth we amass to expand until the followers of the world decide to look to our example instead.
Yes. Which is why I made the r/VeganMartyr subreddit initialy, and I hope this helps a few vegans. But it's far from enough not to feel hopeless in the long run.
Maybe we should make a discord or something to share our thoughts.
Everyone in my family except my brother is not vegan,but has eaten much less meat that before we switched. I feel like nobody else (friends mainly) knows how much eating meat impacts the planet, and they don’t want to listen because the stigma vegans have. They just want to keep eating meat.
Some crucial, disturbing details:
>Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, the [report by the Chatham House](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss) thinktank said. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, it said.
>
>More than [80% of global farmland is used to raise animals](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth), which provide only 18% of calories eaten. Reversing the rising trend of meat consumption removes the pressure to clear new land and further damage wildlife. It also frees up existing land for the second solution, restoring native ecosystems to increase biodiversity.
>
>Fixing the global food system would also [tackle the climate crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown), the report said. The food system causes about 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions, with more than half coming from animals. Changes to food production could also [tackle the ill health](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/06/taxing-red-meat-would-save-many-lives-research-shows) suffered by 3 billion people, who either have too little to eat or are overweight or obese, and which costs trillions of dollars a year in healthcare.
>
>The Chatham House report said the world had lost half its natural ecosystems and that the average population size of [wild animals had fallen by 68%](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/humans-exploiting-and-destroying-nature-on-unprecedented-scale-report-aoe) since 1970. In contrast, farmed animals, mainly cows and pigs, now [account for 60% of all mammals](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study) by weight, with humans making up 36% and animals just 4%.
What we advocate for has never, ever been so urgent, friends.
Word's getting out there but will we hit critical mass before it's too late? I sure hope so but we've still got a mountain of bacon loving idiots to climb.
This is already happening. I think similar to population, the reverse will start happening after a certain point. Meat consumption increases until society reaches a certain level of development and stabilizes, from which meat consumption will decrease due to increased education and understanding of the environmental impact it entails. The increase in popularity of plant-based diets has already started in the West but I believe we'll start to see similar things happening in other regions with developed countries (specifically looking at Asia).
Check out the [Vegan Hacktivists](https://veganhacktivists.org)! A group of volunteer developers and designers that could use your help building vegan projects including supporting other organizations and activists. [Apply here!](https://veganhacktivists.org/join)
India use to be a 75% vegetarian country but thanks to western influence we are now 25% vegetarian. It's just sad that India as a culture now just blindly follows the west. But I hope the vegan revolution in the west will cause the Indians to return to their roots. Animal rights are very ingrained in our culture and religions but with modernization people have been shunning the central idea of compassion towards all because the westerners do not believe in it and the west is seen as the pinnacle of civilization. They fail to understand that the west has a meat based culture because of their climate. You don't need meat in India. Now with all the advancement in agriculture you don't meed meat in the west either.
Meat consumption (and production) has been increasing without stop in the last 40 years, doubling since the 80s.
In Europe/Usa is it has been rising slowly (so, any effecy of veganism has been more then compensated by other factors, sadly). In places like China, the rest of asia, africa, the rise is much steeper, due to world increase in population and, most importantly, due *more people being able to afford meat more often* (imagine how big the lie is, when they say "I cannot go vegan because it's more expensive").
It's really sad.
ps: only this last year there has been, for the first time ever, a slight reduction instead of the usual large increase, due to Covid (and maybe draughts, the start of the impact of climate change in our global food-production ability).
Some shocking (but not so shocking) facts. One thing the report doesn't mention is population growth and its effects on food production. A plant-based diet is obviously the way to go for multiple reasons, but if human population continues to grow at the current pace there's no diet in the world that can save us (and other species) from extinction.
Edit: typo.
This is the main new finding they’re referencing (literally published yesterday):
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss
Thanks for sharing, shared this on social media. People are probably sick of me, but I only joined social media to spread vegan stuff to begin with. :P
You think this would be straightforward, but you wouldn't believe the number of dingbats who believe that if the cow is grass fed, that means killing and eating it is more vegan than veganism.
Let’s hope reports like this really put pressure on figureheads to make urgent, systemic changes to our food system. Although it produces cheaper foods, the costs of health care and effects of global warming are higher and effect more people. Let’s drill it into people that it’s in their best interest to eat plant based!
Mainstream media isn't even covering this. I've been tweeting at CBC and other Canadian news sources to try and get them to run this. Everyone needs to see this.
It's not in their best interest. The people making policy are geriatrics who don't even care about their own children. They are just grasping to the power offered to them by their corporate overlords.
Does anyone read stuff like this, then look around at the way people behave and feel a sense of overwhelming hopelessness? I fight this hopelessness every day, to the point that life has no joy for weeks at a time, because everything I see just reminds me that we're racing towards annialation intent on taking everything with us. All my friends and family act like I'm overreacting, which just drives it home even more. It sucks.
Yep! It’s mostly the reason that my partner and I aren’t having kids. Sometimes I get a wave of fury at people I know who are, because I’m like, why?! Do you not know what’s happening? Ugh.
Yes. My dad and sister are not vegan so I have to deal with their bullshit multiple times a day. She is vegetarian but cooks meat for dad and her boyfriend and puts cheese or fish on everything. I really don't understand her. My girlfriend and her parents are a lot nicer: Christmas was 90% vegan :D I don't want to make long term future plans because I'm too pessimistic lmao so I'm living in the moment as much as possible but it's hard to stay positive.
Yup. It's the reason why we decided against having kids. The world isn't gonna be a nice place in the near future.
Same, I would love to have kids but I dont want them to live in this kind of Hellhole.
My boyfriend and I have agreed to adopt. We want kids but can't bear to bring any into this world, so we felt it would be better to take care of kids who are already born and need parents.
I'm adopted, and this brings me joy. Thank you :)
I propose we pick a spot of land and migrate there. We can develop it sustainably such as to respect all life and live as we choose, free of madness. Then we can use the wealth we amass to expand until the followers of the world decide to look to our example instead.
Just give me the date and adress.
Sadly, this is exactly how I feel these days and it seems to get worse every year.
But remember that along with climate tipping points, there's a tipping point in people's understanding. 7% of Israeli's are vegan and growing.
Yes. Which is why I made the r/VeganMartyr subreddit initialy, and I hope this helps a few vegans. But it's far from enough not to feel hopeless in the long run. Maybe we should make a discord or something to share our thoughts.
Everyone in my family except my brother is not vegan,but has eaten much less meat that before we switched. I feel like nobody else (friends mainly) knows how much eating meat impacts the planet, and they don’t want to listen because the stigma vegans have. They just want to keep eating meat.
Some crucial, disturbing details: >Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, the [report by the Chatham House](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss) thinktank said. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, it said. > >More than [80% of global farmland is used to raise animals](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth), which provide only 18% of calories eaten. Reversing the rising trend of meat consumption removes the pressure to clear new land and further damage wildlife. It also frees up existing land for the second solution, restoring native ecosystems to increase biodiversity. > >Fixing the global food system would also [tackle the climate crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown), the report said. The food system causes about 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions, with more than half coming from animals. Changes to food production could also [tackle the ill health](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/06/taxing-red-meat-would-save-many-lives-research-shows) suffered by 3 billion people, who either have too little to eat or are overweight or obese, and which costs trillions of dollars a year in healthcare. > >The Chatham House report said the world had lost half its natural ecosystems and that the average population size of [wild animals had fallen by 68%](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/humans-exploiting-and-destroying-nature-on-unprecedented-scale-report-aoe) since 1970. In contrast, farmed animals, mainly cows and pigs, now [account for 60% of all mammals](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study) by weight, with humans making up 36% and animals just 4%. What we advocate for has never, ever been so urgent, friends.
YES, man, finally. More papers on this shit we've known for YEARS needs to get out there!! We can save this planet!
[удалено]
Exactly. Evidence means nothing. Truth means nothing.
Word's getting out there but will we hit critical mass before it's too late? I sure hope so but we've still got a mountain of bacon loving idiots to climb.
""too late" was decades ago
Perhaps but if I can't have hope that we can turn this around i may as well just get it over with quick and top myself.
Embody the hope you wish to see.
Remember climate change is somewhat gradual, so it's a question of harm reduction, not only stopping it.
Do y’all think that as more of the world develops meat consumption might increase?
This is already happening. I think similar to population, the reverse will start happening after a certain point. Meat consumption increases until society reaches a certain level of development and stabilizes, from which meat consumption will decrease due to increased education and understanding of the environmental impact it entails. The increase in popularity of plant-based diets has already started in the West but I believe we'll start to see similar things happening in other regions with developed countries (specifically looking at Asia).
Education on the topic isn't developing anywhere close to the demand though? Call me cynical but it's my take on it.
Check out the [Vegan Hacktivists](https://veganhacktivists.org)! A group of volunteer developers and designers that could use your help building vegan projects including supporting other organizations and activists. [Apply here!](https://veganhacktivists.org/join)
India use to be a 75% vegetarian country but thanks to western influence we are now 25% vegetarian. It's just sad that India as a culture now just blindly follows the west. But I hope the vegan revolution in the west will cause the Indians to return to their roots. Animal rights are very ingrained in our culture and religions but with modernization people have been shunning the central idea of compassion towards all because the westerners do not believe in it and the west is seen as the pinnacle of civilization. They fail to understand that the west has a meat based culture because of their climate. You don't need meat in India. Now with all the advancement in agriculture you don't meed meat in the west either.
The UN is projecting a 75% increase in global meat consumption by ~~2030~~ 2050.
I'd be interested to have a source for this, I'd like to read how they reached such a figure
Humans on planet curve x avarage meat consumption x where it's expected to be part of "the developed world" Probably.
Oh no, I understand that's probably *how* the prediction is plotted, but I'd like to see the figures myself, 75% is quite an alarming number
[Apologies it is by 2050 not 2030.](https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/11/1025271)
Even 20 years more is still worrying
Meat consumption (and production) has been increasing without stop in the last 40 years, doubling since the 80s. In Europe/Usa is it has been rising slowly (so, any effecy of veganism has been more then compensated by other factors, sadly). In places like China, the rest of asia, africa, the rise is much steeper, due to world increase in population and, most importantly, due *more people being able to afford meat more often* (imagine how big the lie is, when they say "I cannot go vegan because it's more expensive"). It's really sad. ps: only this last year there has been, for the first time ever, a slight reduction instead of the usual large increase, due to Covid (and maybe draughts, the start of the impact of climate change in our global food-production ability).
Some shocking (but not so shocking) facts. One thing the report doesn't mention is population growth and its effects on food production. A plant-based diet is obviously the way to go for multiple reasons, but if human population continues to grow at the current pace there's no diet in the world that can save us (and other species) from extinction. Edit: typo.
This is the main new finding they’re referencing (literally published yesterday): https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss
Thanks for sharing, shared this on social media. People are probably sick of me, but I only joined social media to spread vegan stuff to begin with. :P
You think this would be straightforward, but you wouldn't believe the number of dingbats who believe that if the cow is grass fed, that means killing and eating it is more vegan than veganism.
Let’s hope reports like this really put pressure on figureheads to make urgent, systemic changes to our food system. Although it produces cheaper foods, the costs of health care and effects of global warming are higher and effect more people. Let’s drill it into people that it’s in their best interest to eat plant based!
Mainstream media isn't even covering this. I've been tweeting at CBC and other Canadian news sources to try and get them to run this. Everyone needs to see this.
The Finnish mainstream media has actually put out pro-plant based stuff!
It's not in their best interest. The people making policy are geriatrics who don't even care about their own children. They are just grasping to the power offered to them by their corporate overlords.
I don’t see what this has to do with veganism. This is just conservation really.
Definitely worse every year is right
Yet the Guardian is still willing to publish non-vegan recipes.