Animal agriculture harms the environment

It is vital to reconsider our approach to farming and create a new food system that is less reliant on animals and more humane and sustainable.

Image credit: Getty Images

High meat consumption causes irreversible damage to our planet

Food production is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, where meat and dairy account for roughly 60% of these emissions and only 30% from plant-based foods.

Many people consume meat and animal products from fast food restaurants which mostly come from low-welfare and high-emissions farming systems. This is having devastating effects on the environment.

The water consumption and land used to produce meat are significantly higher than plant-based alternatives.

We commissioned the report, Shifting the Menu from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS which outlines the harmful effects of excess meat consumption on the environment and shows how much of a difference our food choices make on the environment and animals.

Switching to plant-based for as little as three days a week will help you make a meaningful difference to our planet and facilitate our transition to a low-emissions and high-welfare food system.

Brazil forest fires: a human-made emergency from clearing land for livestock

Human population has more than doubled in the last 50 years, increasing the demand for animal products, thus quadripling the land destined to produce animal feed, such as soy.

As a result, the global livestock industry is the single largest cause of wildlife habitat destruction in the world, and not only billions of farmed animals suffer, but also wildlife.

Countless animals die from the horrific forest fires that rage in Brazil. These fires are cause large parts of habitats to disappear at a horrifying rate.

In 2021, it was estimated that 82% of the vast Encontro das Aguas National Park – home to one of the world's largest jaguar populations – burned down.

This emergency is human-made and many of the fires were started deliberately to clear land for the livestock industry and animal feed.

With your support, we worked with local partners to save and treat the wildlife affected by the fires. We also fed them and transported them to mobile emergency clinics to heal their wounds and released them back to the wild once healed.