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Forty-nine years ago, in July 1969, the Apollo 11 crew landed on the moon and humans walked for the first time on the surface of another planetary body. While we continue to explore our universe and gaze with wonder towards the stars, let’s also remember to look back at the Earth too, as the Apollo 11 crew did in this beautiful “Earthrise” photograph. As the great astronomer Carl Sagan aptly said: “Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand.” Taking care of the Earth — the only planet we currently can inhabit — is even more pressing now than when the Apollo 11 crew made their historic journey half a century ago. Today, our unprecedented human population growth (adding 6 billion people in the last 200 years alone), coupled with our appetite for animal products, has resulted in radically changing the face of Earth, destroying ecosystems, and driving to extinction species that took millions of years to evolve. Animal agriculture is by far the largest land-user on the planet (consuming 45% of the entire global surface area) and, according to the U.N. FAO, is the major driver of deforestation, loss of biodiversity and climate change – producing more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined. Environmental “time bombs”, such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, threaten the survival of life on our planet – and it is increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to address these threats until we deal with the unsustainable environmental disaster that is animal agriculture. We have a responsibility not to destroy the only home we’ve ever known. But there is some promising news. We actually have the ability to tackle these serious problems, and to do so immediately. A global shift away from animal foods and towards plant-based vegan diets will have a more beneficial impact in addressing these environmental issues than almost anything else we can do. And going vegan is incredibly easy, great for your health, and – of course – removes your support for the horrific suffering and death currently inflicted upon countless billions of innocent animals. If you haven’t already, please consider seriously these issues and go vegan. |