The Unvegan

Once upon a time there was a group of people called vegans. Among other things, these people claimed that their diet was better for the environment than eating meat. Had they been right, the world would be a much different place, but luckily for us, they were wrong. In fact, they eventually learned that their diet was actually worse for the environment than eating meat.

Ok, so maybe the vegans haven’t learned yet, but new research shows that vegan staples like soy, chickpeas and lentils are doing more harm than good. It’s enough to make you want to sing “Killer Tofu,” by The Beets. Remember that fictional band from Doug on Nickelodeon? If not, here’s a refresher:

But I digress. The WWF found that in Great Britain, since most of the land is unsuitable for growing soy and other vegetarian crops, these products have to be imported from thousands of miles away. This transportation itself is bad for the environment, but to make matters worse, these crops are grown in countries like Brazil, where they are clear-cutting the rainforest. I won’t get into all the details of the effect this clear-cutting has on the environment, but it’s pretty terrible.

So next time you opt for the vegetarian option in a meal (which I’m sure you would never do), make sure you think about the environmental implications first.

(via Times Online)