Resource Depletion

Another issue plaguing our environment is loss of natural resources.  Because the world’s population keeps growing (we’re at about 7 billion now), we are using up more and more resources.  To make room for people to live and agricultural land, ecosystems often wiped out.  Deforestation often occurs when more agricultural space is needed.  Deforestation is the clearing of natural forests by logging or burning of trees in a forested area.  Deforestation has led to a rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and a decrease in biodiversity.  The cause for the rise in CO2 is that normally plants would use up the CO2 in the air and emit oxygen, but once they are destroyed they are unable to do so.  This leaves a high about of CO2 in the air which then leads to the greenhouse effect.  The other issue regarding deforestation is the decrease in biodiversity.  When forest area is cleared, the unique plants and animals that live in that ecosystem are left without a home.  They often become endangered or extinct. 

                Regardless of whether a resource is renewable to non-renewable, if we are using them up quicker than their rate of replacement, they will become depleted.  Some non-renewable resources (a resource that cannot be grown or regenerated once gone) are fossil fuels.  Common fossil fuels we use are natural gas, petroleum, and coal.  Since we depend so much on fossil fuels you can see how this is an issue.  This is why government officials and organizations keep looking for alternative sources of energy.

                Renewable resources (resources that can be replaced through natural processes) include timber, soil, metals, plants, animals, and water.   Even though these can be replaced naturally through the environment, if they are used to frequently they too can become non-renewable.  Hunting, forestry, fishing, and mining can all lead to a depletion of natural resources.

                As long as we conserve our environment, hopefully we will be able to slow down the process of depletion.  This is why sustainability is so important.  It is the idea of long-term maintenance of responsibility.  If we can all learn to be responsible we can take care of our environment.

Problems With Pesticides

Pesticide use is very common in the U.S.  It is in a majority of the food we eat.  Not only is it bad for us, but it ends up being in runoff that makes its way into our waters.  Once it affects our fresh water sources, it is not long before it reaches the ocean.  It kills major ecosystems in the ocean and kills off all the biodiversity that once lived there. 

A majority of these pesticides come from agricultural farms, but also from our own homes and backyards.  They are also found in parks, golf courses, and swimming pools.  Now with people becoming more educated about these issues, companies have begun to produce environmentally friendly products.  Purchasing these products won’t fix water pollution, but every little bit helps.  For example, Seventh Generation is an environmentally friendly brand that is now sold in supermarkets and drug stores.  It is important to use products that have fewer chemicals in them and more natural and biodegradable ingredients.  Also, whenever possible, try not to use pesticides outside when gardening or planting.  It leads to contaminated runoff.  This water ends up in our water or our water system. 

Some More Information about Vegetarianism and the Environement

 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms damages our water system.  Animals produce 130 times more waste than humans do.  To give you an estimate, factory farms produce one billion tons of waste.  This waste is converted into concentrated liquid sewage and is stored in lagoons.  While in the lagoon, the gases from the waste seep into the air and the ground.  The then contaminated water has killed millions of fish and is responsible for about 60% of polluted rivers and streams in the U.S.  A common bacteria found in the water from this runoff is called pfiesteria.  This particular bacterium causes open sores, nausea, memory loss, and fatigue.  We are very lucky in New York to have a great water source, so we tend not to think about water as an issue.  But for states like California, where factory farming is a way of life, it is a major issue for the homeowners who live there. 

However, it is not just fresh water that we should be concerned about.  The ocean is in great danger as well.  The ocean now has what are known as dead zones.  These dead zones are areas of coastal water where nothing can live.  It is caused by contaminated water that leads to a lack of oxygen.

A majority of the grain produced in the U.S. is not fed to people, but to animals.  Because so many of these animals are fed grains, grain farmers use an extensive amount of land.  This practice has destroyed many ecosystems just to create new farmlands.  Today, 30% of the earth’s surface is occupied by livestock.  Species are now in danger of being extinct at a much faster rate than in the past.

(Farm Sanctuary)

Environmental Benefits of Vegetarianism

Being a vegetarian is not just good for you, but it is good for the environment as well.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms damages our water system.  Factory farms are used to produce dairy, eggs, and produce cheaply and efficiently.  But they are very detrimental to the environment.

Farm animals produce large quantities of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.  These emissions lead to the greenhouse effect.  The greenhouse effect is when thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions.  The greenhouse effect heats the earth because greenhouse gases absorb outgoing radiative energy and re-emit some of it back towards earth.  As a result, the average surface temperature rises.  This then leads to other several other issues.  A major one of them is the rise of sea level.  The world’s oceans have already risen 4-8 inches.  Which, to put into perspective, is enough to erode certain islands.  The climate change caused by greenhouse gases is also causing severe floods and severe droughts in parts of the world.  Storm activity will increase as temperatures rise and more water evaporates from the oceans. This includes more powerful hurricanes, pacific typhoons, and an increased frequency of severe localized storms and tornadoes.  We have already seen examples of this the earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami in Japan, just to name a few of the most extreme recent examples.  This warming also causes evaporation on land.  The American West, Southern Africa, and Australia are experiencing severe droughts.

By limiting your consumption of meat, whether once a week or as a permanent life change, you can be helping to slowly reduce these statistics.

(A Cooler Climate)