A Global Vegan Diet Will Help Save the World - So says the United Nations

A recent report from the United Nation's International Panel of Sustainable Resource Management is calling for a global change to a vegan diet. Such a shift, if done on a worldwide scale, the report claims, will greatly reduce the disastrous impacts of climate change, world hunger and fuel shortages.

The report estimates that meat and dairy production account for 70 percent of the earth's freshwater consumption, 38 percent of land use and 19 percent of global greenhouse emissions. "A substantial reduction of impacts," says the report, "would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

In a world rapidly moving toward a population of 9.1 billion (by 2050), a global vegan diet is one of the major changes that will help make such growth sustainable.

It will also improve life greatly for animals. Imagine what a Kafkaesque nightmare it will be for factory farm animals if the world's population reaches 9.1 billion but the world's inhabitants refuse to change their omnivore diets.

This U.N. report provides a glimmer of hope. Historically, the U.N. has made plenty of mistakes. It does not get everything right.

But on the issue of veganism, this report by the U.N. comes at the perfect time. Veganism is moving from the fringe to the mainstream. And we need all the help we can get to make veganism seem less extreme and more acceptable. This U.N. report can only help a great deal in that regard. (Source.)