Interesting facts from "Human Biology":

"Asia already has 56% of the world's population living on 31% of its arable (farmable) land. Therefore, Asia is expected to experience acute water scarcity, a significant loss of biodiversity, and more urban pollution. Twelve of the world's 15 most polluted cities are in Asia" (Mader, 523).

"In the water-poor areas of the world..., people may not have ready access to drinking water, and if they do, they water may be impure...actually, most fresh water is utilized by industry and agriculture. Worldwide, 70% of all fresh water is used to irrigate crops...Domestically, in the MDCs, more water is usually used for bathing, flushing toilets, and water lawns than for drinking and cooking" (525).

"Presently, about 6% of the world's energy supply comes from nuclear power, and 75% comes from fossil fuels; both of these are finite, nonrenewable sources" (528)

"Comparatively speaking, each person in the [Mostly Developed Countries (MDCs)] uses approximately as much energy in one day as a person in a [Lesser Developed Country (LDC)] does in one year" (528).

"Already, tropical rain forests have been reduced from their original 14% of landmass to the present 6%. Also, 60% of coral reefs have been destroyed or are on the verge of destruction; its [sic] possible that all coral reefs may disappear during the next 40 years" (531).

"If we want to preserve wildlife, it is more economical to save ecosystems than individual species" (533).

"Sustainability is, more than likely, incomptabile with the kinds of consumption/waste patterns currently practiced in the MDCs" (537).


For all the people who have become vegetarian or vegan for non-health related reasons, this section of my Human Biology book may provide insight as to why.

Domestic Livestock
" In the MDCs, many people tend to have more than enough protein in their diet. Almost two thirds of U.S. cropland is devoted to producing livestock feed. This means that a large percentage of the fossil fuel, fertilizer, water, herbicides, and pesticides we use are actually for the purpose of raising livestock. Typically, cattle are range-fed for about four months, and then they are brought to crowded feedlots where they receive growth hormone and antibiotics, while they feed on grain or corn. Most pigs and chickens spend their entire lives cooped up in crowded pens and cages.

If livestock eat a large proportion of the crops in the United States, then raising livestock accounts for much of the pollution associated with farming. Consider, also, that presently, fossil fuel energy is needed not just to produce herbicides and pesticides and to grow food, but also to make the food available to the livestock. Raising livestock is extremely energy-intensive in the MDCs. In addition, water is used to wash livestock wastes into nearby bodies of water, where they add significantly to water pollution.

...As a rule of thumb, for every 10 calories of energy from a plant, only 1 calorie is available for the production of animal tissue in a herbivore. In other words, it is extremely wasteful for the human diet to contain more protein than is needed to maintain good health. It is possible to feed ten times as many people on grain as on meant." (527)