Friends of the earth

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Editorial

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now and again-Friends of the earth By SUDHA PALIT

 

Although they may not be aware of it, vegetarians all over the world can be

credited with helping to conserve nature and the environment.

Meat is a regular part of the diet in Western countries. But what does

consumption of meat entail in terms of the environment? It leads to the

destruction of millions of hectares of rainforest and pastureland. On the area

thus cleared, fodder is grown to feed the animals that will later be slaughtered

for the dining tables of meat eating humans. Apart from this factor, the energy

intensive requirements involved in growing, spraying, harvesting, processing and

transporting a pound of meat would consume over seven million barrels of oil per

day in the US alone. This amount could be substantially reduced if even 10 per

cent more Americans would become vegetarians. This would help to conserve one of

the earth’s finite natural resources.

In poor countries, most of the grain produced is eaten by its people. In rich

countries, much of it is fed to livestock and converted into meat and milk. In

Canada, for instance, only 10 per cent of the grain produced is directly

consumed by the people. The rest is fed to livestock to keep the meat production

going. In India, 83 per cent of the grain produced is eaten by humans. However,

even in the poor countries, including India, the upper middle classes are

beginning to emulate the developed world, and those who are not averse to eating

meat on religious grounds, are increasingly including non-vegetarian items in

their diets.

But it appears that more and more people, even in the West, are now turning to

vegetables, as doctors are of the opinion that eating vegetables is beneficial

for the heart and, to some extent, can even prevent certain types of cancer,

especially cancer of the colon. While it is true that meat products are rich in

protein, this vital element can also be obtained from soya beans, whole grain

bread and nuts.

A non-fictional bestseller that has been topping the list in this section for

several months, extols the virtues of vegetarianism. And judging by the

popularity of the book, it might succeed in converting many meat eaters into

becoming vegetarians. In the book, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, by Robin S

Sharma, the narrator talks about his sumptuous lifestyle which ultimately laid

him low with a heart attack. After his recovery, he ventured Eastwards and met

some monks. Living among them, he adopted not only their much healthier mental

attitudes but also their diet, which consisted of vegetables, fruits, sprouts,

milk and no meat at all. According to the narrator, these monks lived long and

healthy lives.

Although the book has been written in the form of a fable, its long innings as a

bestseller seems to have had quite an impact on its readers. So, if the book

succeeds in converting many more meat eaters into vegetarians, the environment

will certainly be an added beneficiary.

But the meat producing industry will be in trouble. However, human beings are

known to be enterprising. And who knows, one day the shelves of our supermarkets

may be lined with vegetarian products that taste like meat!

 

 

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