Which is more environmentally friendly?

Question

Eating only local food, which would include meat or eating vegetarian which would require lots of ingredients (beans, soy) that must be shipped long distances?

Answer 1

I live in a desert. Not much local food about. Should I starve?

Answer 2

Both. It could work either way but personally, being a vegetarian, I find it better not just for the earth but for everyone/thing on it to not eat meat. I do both. Organic veg*n things means you really have the best of both worlds.

Answer 3

It could go either way depending on where you lived.

Answer 4

Why eating less meat helps the environment

18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock (more than from transportation).

70 percent of previously forested land in the Amazon was cleared to pasture cattle.

Two-thirds (64 percent) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems, come from cattle.

The livestock sector accounts for over 8 percent of global human water use, while 64 percent of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas by 2025.

The world’s largest source of water pollution is believed to be the livestock sector.

In the United States, livestock are responsible for a third of the loads of nitrogen and phosphorus into freshwater resources.

Livestock account for about 20 percent of the total terrestrial animal biomass, and the 30 percent of the earth’s land surface that they now pre-empt was once habitat for wildlife, in an era of unprecedented threats to biodiversity.

These problems will only get worse as meat production is expected to double by 2050.

Answer 5

Local food because even if you are eating soy and the like, there is still the cost of gas to transport it to your location.

Answer 6

Local food, for sure - if you still want to eat meat, maybe cut back on beef and pork, because chicken and fish require less energy to produce.

Answer 7

As you know, shipping food long distances emits greenhouse gases from fuel combustion. Other air pollutants that cause respiratory problems are released by shipping in diesel trucks. Cleaner technologies are coming into use, but we haven't seen the full effects of them yet. Buying local cuts down on this.

However, meat costs way more energy to produce than vegetable products. Wikipedia says "The production of animal protein requires eight times as much fossil-fuel energy as the production of plant protein", and that switching to a vegan diet saves as much fuel as trading in a Camry for a Prius.

Meat also requires more water-  enough to water the animal's feed crops, and for the animal to drink.

You should also keep in mind that meat production has other environmental impacts besides wasting fossil fuel. When animal waste gets into water bodies the excess nitrogen causes algae to grow out of control and choke out the other life forms. It's called eutrophication. If this is a problem in your local lake or river, you may not wish to contribute to it.

If you're looking to reduce your 'carbon footprint', either option would be much better than doing nothing. If you choose the local meat option, be sure to find a responsible farmer to buy it from.

Always buy fresh vegetables locally, if possible. Even if you're buying soy products from other places. You probably live near smaller farms than the ones that ship all over. On a small farm its easier to use pesticides only where needed, rather than spraying the whole area. Or buy organic, to be sure that no synthetic pesticides were used.