Why do we feel that as humans, we are entitled to kill and consume any animal we want because we are 'on top of the food chain? Why do we perpetuate the myth that we /need/ to eat other animals to survive as a species? In order to create a more ethical, personal and environmentally sustainable future we must end, or at least lower, meat consumption. Australia, next to the US, has the highest rate of meat consumption with the population consuming 115 kilograms per person per year. This rate of meat consumption is seriously effecting the Australian environment, increasing our risk of disease and promoting the animal abuse that happens within the meat industry. These factors are incredibly damaging for the future of Australia and our planet.
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People assume that we live on a planet but really we live on a gigantic farm, one occasionally broken up by cities, forests and the oceans. Some 40% of the world’s land surface is used for the purposes of keeping all 7 billion of people fed and the vast majority of that land is used not to grow grains, fruits and vegetables that are directly fed to human beings, but to support the chickens, pigs and cattle that we eventually consume. Our meat consumption is killing our plant. We are being forced to farm our land and destroy habitats in order to make room for more animals to be raised for slaughter. According to the Australian Marine Policy, over 40% of Australia's fish stocks have been deemed over fished we are now being forced to import 70% of our fish from overseas. In Queensland alone, 3000-7000 sq km of native woodland are cleared every year, largely to improve cattle pastures. According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, 58% of our land is used for agriculture and principally for grazing animals and the production of crops used in animal feed. That is over half of our 7.7 million sq km that we have. Which means that almost 4 million sq km of land are being used so that we can slaughter and consume animals. This strong demand to farm animals for their meat is not also destroying our land at an alarming rate but is causing our greenhouse gas levels to skyrocket.
People assume that we live on a planet but really we live on a gigantic farm, one occasionally broken up by cities, forests and the oceans. Some 40% of the world’s land surface is used for the purposes of keeping all 7 billion of people fed and the vast majority of that land is used not to grow grains, fruits and vegetables that are directly fed to human beings, but to support the chickens, pigs and cattle that we eventually consume. Our meat consumption is killing our plant. We are being forced to farm our land and destroy habitats in order to make room for more animals to be raised for slaughter. According to the Australian Marine Policy, over 40% of Australia's fish stocks have been deemed over fished we are now being forced to import 70% of our fish from overseas. In Queensland alone, 3000-7000 sq km of native woodland are cleared every year, largely to improve cattle pastures. According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, 58% of our land is used for agriculture and principally for grazing animals and the production of crops used in animal feed. That is over half of our 7.7 million sq km that we have. Which means that almost 4 million sq km of land are being used so that we can slaughter and consume animals. This strong demand to farm animals for their meat is not also destroying our land at an alarming rate but is causing our greenhouse gas levels to skyrocket.