My Humble Bid To Help Save Our Future

The largest land mammals also only eat plants.

Whenever I get a chance, I love reading classic science fiction novels. They are not usually cheerful, but always philosophical and though-provoking. In many of these books, the authors portray a bleak future for life on this planet. Unfortunately, it seems that reality is turning out to be stranger than fiction. More and more evidence is showing that the world is slowly changing because of decisions we make as a society. Unfortunately, the most significant change is to our atmosphere, and it's not for the better. For instance, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii has been measuring the rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for over 60 years. This year, these levels have increased to levels never seen since the age of dinosaurs, long before humans even existed. Just yesterday, newspapers reported irreversible melting of glaciers in the antarctic. Global warming is happening slowly but surely. While we are all busy in our lives, there are many ways that we could at least slow down global warming. The best way to decrease our impact on our environment is by avoiding consumption of animal products, since the meat and dairy industry directly and indirectly create more greenhouse gases than the entire transport industry. Contrary to what we've been led to believe, meat, milk, eggs and cheese are not essential for a healthy diet.  In fact, many studies continue to show that by avoiding these you will be healthier, happier, and even live longer. Much of this information has been known for a long time. As part of our nutrition course during my chiropractic studies about 20 years ago, we were required to read the book "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins, which convinced me to stop eating meat 4 years later. For convenience sake, I continued to consume some dairy until last week, when I finally decided to eliminate all forms of animal products from my diet. Frankly, I don't know why it took me 16 years to give up dairy as well, but it's been a conscience-clearing decision. It will be inconvenient, but as I told my wife, doing the right thing is not always convenient. I have no doubt in my mind that by eating only a plant-based diet, the world will be a better place, not just for us, but for all life on Earth.  As Albert Einstein once said, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

For more information:
http://blog.ucsusa.org/400ppm-co2-mauna-loa-455
http://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-13-climate-change-threshold-passed
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/feed_the_world/2014/05/meat_eating_and_climate_change_vegetarians_impact_on_the_economy_antibiotics.html
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/18/vegetarianism-save-planet-environment
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/763435_2
http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/19/57-health-benefits-of-going-vegan/