Millions of people go hungry and thirsty in the developing world while grain and water is squandered on rearing animals to be slaughtered for food in the developed world. Millions of hectares of life sustaining rain forest are destroyed each year to create grazing pasture. This kills off and puts at risk animal species and indigenous human populations. Over-fishing of the Earth's oceans has decimated fish populations to the point of near extinction of many species. Dolphins and whales are indiscriminately killed by drift nets while massive amounts of dead fish are thrown back into the sea or used as pig and sheep feed.
Intensive grazing causes soil erosion and nutrient depletion.
These are just some of the many ways meat and fish production are harming our world. A vegetarian diet makes better use of the world's resources and is a highly effective way of positively contributing to our planet's future. Together we can make the world a better place. More articles about Animals and the Environment in The Vegetarian , which is published by The Vegetarian Society and is sent free of charge to all members.