The fact that no meat or other animal products are necessary in our diet or for our survival further strengthens this ethical claim. The Environmental reason Water and Soil damage 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to produce our meat centered diet. To produce a single hamburger patty, it takes enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 25 miles and enough water for 17 showers. The production of one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water. It takes less water to produce a year's worth of food for a pure vegetarian than to produce one month's food for a meat-eater.
Factory farms damage the environment as well as the animals they hold captive for profit.
They use large quantities of fossil fuels and fresh water, and return pollutants to the earth in many forms. The waste is then dispersed over a limited area of land, but the soil cannot assimilate such large quantities. The result is contaminated surface and ground water from uncontrolled runoff. Livestock production is the largest polluter of water in the US, topping all other industries that produce toxic wastes. One third of original U.S. cropland has been permanently removed from production due to excessive soil erosion.