(See Graph)

The WWF’s Living Planet report7 chillingly describes this overshoot "ecological credit crunch".  This report reflects human impact on our planet: on biodiversity (extinctions), freshwater use, deforestation, fishing, agricultural cropland and greenhouse emissions. 

It describes how vertebrate species have declined by nearly 30% over the past 35 years, and how overfishing has pushed 60% of fisheries to collapse.  At this rate, we will be consuming twice the world's sustainable capacity by 2030.

Cows, pigs and chickens that cuts down trees

Deforestation is continuing at a rapid pace: 13 million hectares per year, larger than the US State of Indiana, per year.  Tropical countries are now the hotspots, the clear leader being Brazil, followed by Indonesia.  

Many believe that logging, particularly illegal logging, is the main cause of deforestation.  It is not.   Large scale, export-oriented agriculture is now the main driver8, much of which is animal agriculture.   Also, the myth that subsistence farming is a major factor has now been debunked – rural populations are now moving to cities, relying on large agricultural operations to provide their food8. 

The end result is that clearing for pasture and feed for livestock is responsible for between 60-80% of global deforestation9.

Brazil, home to more than a quarter of global deforestation, is undergoing rapid agricultural expansion, and although tree clearing laws were slowing this clearing, these laws have recently been relaxed.  Fully 65-70% of all Brazilian forest clearing is directly for cattle ranching and a further 20% for livestock feed crops.  Brazilian tropical Cerrado woodland is being cleared apace for soybean production, 90% of which is used for livestock feed, particularly exported to China to feed pigs10.  Clearly, those people who eat beef, pork or chicken produced from Brazilian pastures or feed crops are directly causing forest destruction on a continent they may never visit.

Indonesia, second to Brazil, is also undergoing rapid agricultural expansion, but here the main driver is converting rainforest to palm oil plantations.  Palm kernel expeller accounts for 15% of palm oil revenue, all of which is fed to livestock11.  Here again, those who eat dairy products from the UK or New Zealand are responsible in part for deforestation in Indonesia. 

Other South American and African countries are also seeing pressure from large scale agricultural production, much of which is intended for grazing or feed crops.

Deforestation is not confined to developing countries.  Until recently, Australia was home to 5% of the world’s deforestation, with more than 90% of this deforestation to make livestock pasture.  Trees are cleared in Australia in a similar manner to the Cerrado tropical woodland in Brazil – two large bulldozers pull a monster chain between them, flattening all vegetation in between.  The Australian state of Queensland has been using satellite data to monitor tree clearing for more than 20 years now, and over that time for every kilogram of beef produced, 100 square metres of trees were cleared12.

Offsetting carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees is now very convenient.  Emissions from air travel can be offset by simply ticking the option when booking and paying a few extra dollars.  Programs to offset car emissions are also common.  However, these programs are insignificant when compared to tree clearing for agriculture.  For example, in Australia, for every tree planted 100 are cut down, and 90% of tree clearing is for grazing pasture12.   Those people who take the tree planting option to offset travel emission, but continue to eat grazing or lot fed animals are deluding themselves.   Likewise, those willing volunteers who plant trees but still consume meat are (perhaps unknowingly) participating in a cruel irony.

World Vegan - World Peace