Are vegans and vegetarians destroying the planet?

00:04:02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9PoTWiMTk

Summary

TLDRThe video explores the rising trend of veganism and vegetarianism, alongside the environmental impacts of soybean production. Rapid growth in soy production, particularly in South America, has led to deforestation and increased greenhouse emissions. Although often blamed for these issues, vegans and vegetarians consume only a small fraction of soy, as 90% is destined for animal feed. Effective changes include reducing global meat and dairy consumption and promoting plant-based diets, supported by supermarkets and food industries with clear meat reduction goals.

Takeaways

  • 🌱 Veganism and vegetarianism are rising in the UK.
  • 📈 Soy production has increased 15-fold since the 1950s.
  • 🌎 50% of soy is produced in South America causing deforestation.
  • 💨 Agriculture and deforestation contribute to global greenhouse emissions.
  • 🍽️ 90% of soy is used for animal feed, not human consumption.
  • 🌳 European soy imports contribute significantly to deforestation.
  • 🐄 Animal agriculture is inefficient in calorie production.
  • 🤔 Shift towards more plant-based diets is essential for sustainability.
  • 🍗 Chicken consumption has doubled, causing increased soy use.
  • 🥦 Supermarkets need to make plant-based foods affordable and appealing.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:02

    The video discusses the increasing number of vegans and vegetarians in the UK, noting a significant rise in recent years and a projection for further growth by 2025. The focus shifts to the controversial role of soybeans in vegan and vegetarian diets. Although commonly associated with plant-based diets, the video reveals that the majority of soybeans are actually used for animal feed, not direct human consumption. This has led to widespread deforestation in South America and significant greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the inefficiency of animal agriculture in food production, urging a shift toward plant-based diets to alleviate environmental burdens. The video calls for supermarkets and food companies to set reduction targets for meat and dairy and make plant-based options affordable and appealing.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What percentage of people in the UK are vegan?

    Around one percent of the population is vegan.

  • What was Sainsbury's prediction for vegan and vegetarian population by 2025?

    Sainsbury's predicted that a quarter of the UK population will be vegan or vegetarian by 2025.

  • How much has soybean production increased since the 1950s?

    Global soybean production has increased 15 times over since the 1950s.

  • Where is most of the world's soy produced?

    Almost 50 percent of soybeans are produced in South America, specifically in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

  • What impact does soy production have on the environment?

    Soy production contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, impacting climate and wildlife.

  • What percentage of soy is used for animal feed?

    Ninety percent of all soy is grown for animal feed.

  • What is the environmental footprint of European soy imports?

    Soy imports represent 47 percent of Europe's deforestation footprint.

  • Why is animal agriculture considered inefficient?

    For every 100 calories of grain crops fed to animals, we get much fewer calories in return, making it inefficient for feeding humans.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:00
    they're everywhere they're multiplying
  • 00:00:02
    there could be one already living inside
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    your house
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    it's the invasion of the vegans and
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    vegetarians
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    according to the vegan society the
  • 00:00:10
    number of vegans in the uk
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    quadrupled between 2014 and 2019.
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    they now make up around one percent of
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    the population even sainsbury's
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    predicted that a quarter of the uk will
  • 00:00:21
    be vegan or vegetarian by 2025.
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    today we're going to be looking at one
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    aspect of the vegan and vegetarian diet
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    that's caused a lot of controversy as
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    more and more people have gone meat-free
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    sawyer
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    since the 1950s global soybean
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    production has increased
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    15 times over and almost 50 percent of
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    those soybeans are produced in south
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    america
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    specifically in brazil paraguay and
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    argentina what a thrilling time to be a
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    soybean
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    unfortunately this has come a huge cost
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    massive areas of south american forests
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    have been destroyed to make way for
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    fields of soy
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    this isn't just bad news for the
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    wildlife living there it's bad news for
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    the climate and pretty much our entire
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    planet agriculture and deforestation
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    make up a quarter of global greenhouse
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    emissions
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    because converting forests into fields
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    to grow crops like soya releases
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    greenhouse gases
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    and removes trees that help rid the
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    atmosphere of carbon dioxide in the
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    first place
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    sawyer imports represent a whopping 47
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    percent of europe's deforestation
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    footprint and the soya industry is also
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    linked to violence and human rights
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    abuses in brazil
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    where communities are being threatened
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    and intimidated in attempts to seize
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    their land to expand
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    soya empires so who's the culprit why
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    are we producing such large amounts of
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    soya and who's eating it
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    it's those damn vegans and vegetarians
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    ain't it they love their tofu
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    their soy burgers soy dogs soy milk
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    tempeh tofutti what's tofu tea it's like
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    a
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    cream cheese best not to ask meat-free
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    diets in the west
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    east asia and southeast asia often tend
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    to include soy products
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    as a source of protein or as a meat
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    replacement so there you go
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    vegans and vegetarians are the cause of
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    all this deforestation
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    case closed
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    don't look at that as it turns out
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    ninety percent of all soya is grown for
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    animal feed
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    that's the food eaten by cattle chickens
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    and pigs
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    just six percent is grown for human
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    consumption and the rest is used
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    industrially for things from pet food
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    to biofuels that animal feed is being
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    grown in such large quantities because
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    it's now estimated that
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    60 of all mammals on the planet are
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    livestock
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    27 of the world's land is used for
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    livestock that's for growing their feed
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    and for them to graze on
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    thanks to this handy chart from our
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    world and data we can see that's the
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    size of north and south america
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    combined fun fact people often think
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    that chicken
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    is much more environmentally friendly
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    than beef but global chicken consumption
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    has doubled since 1990
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    and chickens are the ones eating most of
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    the soya we import into the uk
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    okay maybe that was more depressing than
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    fun it takes an area the size of
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    northern ireland
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    just to produce the uk's annual soya
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    demand and the thing is
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    animal agriculture is actually a really
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    inefficient way to produce enough food
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    for all the people living on the planet
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    for every 100 calories of grain crops
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    fed to animals
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    we get 40 calories of milk 12 calories
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    of chicken and just 3 calories of beef
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    imagine how much more efficient it would
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    be to feed all that grain to people
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    directly
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    well not directly we'd probably turn it
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    into something you'd actually want to
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    eat first
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    so as it turns out vegans and
  • 00:03:28
    vegetarians probably aren't solely
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    responsible for destroying the planet
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    through their soya consumption bring the
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    tofuti back
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    i'm so sorry tofuti to stop this cycle
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    from continuing we need to change the
  • 00:03:39
    way we think about food
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    and yes that means reducing our meat and
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    dairy intake on a global scale
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    and turning towards a more plant-based
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    diet we need supermarkets and food
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    companies to introduce meat reduction
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    targets year on year
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    and to make plant-based alternatives
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    both appealing and affordable to make
  • 00:03:56
    this possible
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    find out more by visiting the links
  • 00:03:58
    below and subscribe to our channel for
  • 00:04:00
    more videos like this
Tags
  • vegan
  • vegetarian
  • soybeans
  • deforestation
  • greenhouse emissions
  • soy production
  • animal feed
  • sustainability
  • plant-based diet
  • global consumption