April 22 is Earth Day, a time to celebrate the anniversary of the modern environmental movement. This year's theme is "Invest in Our Planet". Earth Day is a great time to come together and create a partnership for the planet.

Earth, with its complex ecosystems and valuable resources, sustains us in countless ways. From fresh water to oxygen, healthy soils to raw materials, Earth provides us with everything we need to thrive. However, our current use and reliance on these resources are leading to environmental destruction on a global scale. The good news is that as individuals, we have the power to make a difference and take action to protect our planet. As we celebrate Earth Day in 2023, let's explore some simple but impactful actions we can take for a sustainable future.

Why being animal-friendly is better for the planet

According to researchers, the single biggest way you can help heal the planet is by choosing to consume and use only animal-friendly food and products. Let's explore the facts about animal agriculture and its impact on the planet.

Land clearing and deforestation

A study in 2019 found that animal agriculture (both animals and their feed crops) uses 77% of all agricultural land, equating to around 40 million km². In comparison, urban and built-up land takes up 1.5 million km². Land clearing and deforestation for meat, eggs, and dairy is even more shocking when you look at what foods make up the world's calorie supply. Currently, the ~3 trillion land and sea animals we kill for food, only create 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of the world’s protein supply, making plant sources much more sustainable and valuable. If we continue to consume animals at this rate, animal farming will expand as the human population grows, which means more land will be cleared and habitats destroyed. Research shows, however, that if we were to shift away from animal-based foods, we could add up to 49% to the global food supply, without cutting down another tree (saving billions of animals in the process!).

Water use

Studies estimate that all agriculture practices accounts for between 70 and 92% of global water use. From this, it is estimated that farming animals uses almost one-third of the total water footprint. Animal products have a significantly larger water requirement per unit of nutritional energy, compared to plant products. This is because water is used for food, drinking, washing, transporting, slaughtering, and processing animals. Below is a breakdown of the freshwater used per kilogram of food. If we were to look at it from a protein perspective, 100grams of protein from beef requires 1,375L of freshwater, in comparison to peas which needs 178L, or soy using just 93L.

While many consumers are concerned by the amount of water needed to produce nuts, if you limit your serving sizes to your daily requirements, you can maintain a low water footprint, as it balances out with other foods in your diet. It's important to note that in addition to eating plants, we should encourage the agriculture industry to find ways to reduce water use for crops.

The climate crisis

While we need to invest in clean energy solutions, we should also address the global food system, as it is responsible for roughly 26% of global GHG emissions. The 26% is broken down into livestock and fisheries - 31%, land use - 24%, crop production - 27%, and supply chains - 18%. When looking at the livestock and fisheries figure, it is important to note that this excludes their land use, food production, transport, slaughtering, and processing emissions.

On a personal level, if we want to reduce our food emissions footprint, it's important to look at what we eat. Overall, plant-based foods tend to have a much lower greenhouse gas emission footprint than animal-based foods, as you can see in the chart below. Additionally, plant-based protein sources, being tofu, beans, peas, and nuts, have the lowest carbon footprint.

Pollution and waste production

On top of GHG emissions, farming animals also creates physical waste. Animal manure contains phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium as well as trace elements zinc, manganese and copper, and is also a source of ammonia, salts, heavy metals, and possibly trace antibiotics. Additional waste includes unwanted animal parts (feathers, heads, hooves, insides), spilt feed, water, and bedding. This waste is often used to fertilize crops, however, the amount produced far exceeds the amount used for crop production. Using it as fertiliser can also pollute the surrounding environment, which can reduce the plant diversity in the area, kill the plants beneath the dung, and cause higher concentrations of nutrients in the topsoil, introducing pathogens into an area, and polluting waterways. Some of the excess waste may be burnt, releasing dioxin chemicals that are persistent, carcinogenic, and are known to cause health issues.

Wildlife and biodiversity

In addition to this, wild animals suffer too. The major threats to biodiversity include habitat destruction and degradation, pollution, over-exploitation, competition with introduced species, and human-caused climate change - all of which are entwined with animal agriculture. We have cleared native habitats, over-fished the oceans, filled the cleared land with introduced species - all making it incredibly difficult for native animals to survive. If we look at the global biomass of all the mammals on earth, just 4% are wild. Meanwhile, farmed animals equate to over 61%, humans 34%, and companion animals less than 1%. If we look at all the birds on earth, just 29% are wild and 71% are poultry who are on farms awaiting a premature death. If we continue to support animal agriculture, these small wild populations will dwindle.

Taking a stand against cruelty

By opting to eat and wear animal-friendly produce and products, you're sending a message that you care about animals and don’t want them to suffer. The meat, dairy, and egg industries can only operate by denying animals their natural behaviours, forcing them to endure painful mutilation procedures, repeatedly impregnating females, and drastically shortening the animals' lives. For example, hens in cages will never dustbathe, sows in farrowing crates will never build a nest, and dairy cows will never nurse their calves. Male piglets are castrated, piglets have their tails docked, calves are dehorned, lambs are mulesed, chicks are debeaked, and prawns have their eyes removed - all without pain relief. To learn more about these industries, visit our issues page.

Other ways to help heal the planet

While eating animal-friendly meals is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact, there are many other ways you can help keep the planet healthy.