Hamburgers: juicy, tempting, and delicious. With roots starting in the late 1890s, hamburgers made their way from Hamburg, a German port city, to the daily diet of millions of Americans. Over time, they’ve become a part of American tradition itself, with many nostalgic memories built around hazy summer afternoons near grills and the smell of onions, ketchup, and beef wafting through the air. Many, many memories.
Gradually rising so much that demand, along with other factors, such as more efficient means of transportation, caused the cattle industry to explode. The USDA shows that over the past few decades alone, commercial beef production and cattle weight have significantly grown. Except, it is not just cattle and meat production that has been increasing, it’s also the environmental impact that has been reaching fearful and uncontrollable peaks. 14.5% of the global greenhouse gasses are produced by cows alone, a number that will continue to rise without intervention, as populations worldwide continue thriving. Not only are the cattle pumping noxious gasses into our atmosphere, but they also take up a massive sector of the world's few resources. Around a yearly 41 million tons are fed to livestock in the U.S. alone, producing an abysmal seven million tons of animal meat in return. On top of food necessities, the cattle industry consumes around 34-74 trillion gallons of water yearly. To put it into perspective, humans consume around 57 trillion gallons of water yearly.
Since beef takes up such a majority of the livestock industry, the solution can primarily rely on cutting back demand. With many new plant-based products starting to be introduced into the world, it becomes easier and easier for meat-eating families to make the switch. The resources and energy spent in livestock farming can be redirected to humans. The water and food required to feed industrial cattle could easily fill the stomachs of many facing poverty in poorer countries. Not only are plant-based products healthier for the environment, but it has been proven in many studies that plant-based diets are healthier for humans. While asking the modern world to swear off meat entirely is ideal, realistically, it becomes too big of a sacrifice. This is why at least cutting back on the meat we consume and gradually letting it become the delicacy it once was may very well prove to be a savior to our dying planet. We only get one.