• schroedingershat@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    If the entire world turned vegan would it make a difference?

    …yes. Plainly and obviously. Most land use would be gone overnight. Deforestation would stop immediately as would the second largest source of methane, one of the largest sources of NO2, and billions of tonnes of CO2 per year (about a quarter of all emissions). No other single initiative other than maybe ending urban driving would come close.

    If you’re in the global top 50% there is absolutely nothing stopping you from switching to a primarily plant based diet, and if you’re in the bottom 50% you probably don’t eat enough meat to be a major impact.

    • cmbabul@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’m not taking a side, I’m just here saying that I have no idea which one of those two options, kill the car or stop eating meat, most people would be more amenable to doing. On its face I think most would rather give up cars but I’m really not sure. Both have a better shot than guns(at least in the US)

      We’re so boned

      • Kalash@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        In many European cities you don’t even need to “give up” a car. Public transportation is faster anyway and there isn’t really a need for one in the first place.

      • Aesthesiaphilia@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        In both of these cases, and in fact regarding a lot of things, climate activists are going at this TOTALLY FUCKING BACKWARDS.

        OF COURSE we’re boned, we asked people to actively make their own lives worse. We should have known that was never going to happen.

        Whats the actual, practical solution? Science, same as it always has been. Lab grown meat. Electric vehicles & better urban transit. Renewable energy.

        The solution is not to make people’s lives worse but to design ways that will reduce emissions without requiring any actual sacrifice from everyday people (except higher prices). Because everyday people will not sacrifice. It will never happen.

      • schroedingershat@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The worst part is neither are even remotely economically viable without massive subsidy. Just redirecting those subsidies to alternatives would solve 75% of emissions overnight.

    • XTornado@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I wouldn’t go as far as say that deforestation would stop since half of it is for products not for animals, like soybeans and palm oil.

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Where are all the crops going to grow if land use and deforestation would disappear overnight?

      • schroedingershat@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        On the billions of acres no longer needed to grow animal feed for a small minority of global calories and protein.

        You’re trying to pretend meat isn’t over and order of magnitude less efficient than other agriculture and it’s just making you look foolish.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          So then what happens to all the cattle if this comes to be? Your scenario assumes they all just evaporate into the ether never to be seen again.

          • Vegoon@feddit.de
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            1 year ago

            The industry kills 90 Billions each year. The IPCC calculates with a decline over 20 years. So maybe people pay next year to only raise and kill 60 Billions and so on.

            Farmers already kill them if they have a financial incentive like raising feed prices or falling meat/dairy prices.

          • schroedingershat@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Same thing that happens to every generation before them. Projecting your own complete lack of critical thinking or imagination onto others doesn’t mean they’re actually as stupid as you make them out to be.