Updated February 18th, 2023 at 07:55 IST

New Study shows Veganism сauses more harm to the environment than limited meat consumption

A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia has revealed that veganism can cause more harm to the environment than “limited meat consumption”.

Reported by: Bhagyasree Sengupta
Image: Pixabay (Representative) | Image:self
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A new study has revealed that veganism can cause more harm to the environment than “limited meat consumption”. Citing a survey published by the Social Source Journal, scientists from the University of Georgia have found that several soybean products that are quite common in the vegan diet, are imported from places where their production can add to widespread deforestation and habitat loss. The studies also revealed that the transportation of these products can also cause a severe environmental impact.

The study also revealed that the extraction of palm oil, which is often used as an alternative to butter in the vegan diet, also impacts the environment in a negative way. The extraction and exportation of oil from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Thailand are not environmentally sustainable. The new study comes in the midst of an age-old tussle between vegans and meat eaters.

The survey underscored the local ecosystem of several countries 

The researchers of the study revealed that the survey in question has underscored the local ecosystems of several countries. “The survey underscored that local ecosystems in these countries have been devastated by deforestation and loss of biodiversity as millions of hectares of forests are razed for palm oil production,” the new study reads. "There's definitely an argument for reducing the amount of meat that we eat, but we can get a good deal of our protein needs met with a small amount of animal products like meat or eggs,” the researcher added. The researcher also emphasised that instead of focusing on how eating meats can impact the climate, one should actually focus on how the meat-eating industries are operating. "Livestock is super important to both the sustainability of a farm system and to climate change mitigation," one of the researchers named Amy Trauge argued. 

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Published February 18th, 2023 at 07:55 IST