Vegetarians Vs. Water Crisis

Not all foods are alike when it comes to water, some take more to produce than others. This was the point that John Anthony Allan, a Professor at the University of London, was trying to make when he gave a lecture in Dubai, on November 8, 2010, addressing the water crisis of the Middle-East. In order to educate on foods impact on water he presented the following proactive idea; Because raising your food requires a significant amount of water, altering your diet to include less meat can help conserve water. But how much? Well the vegetarian american consumes half the amount of water that a meat eating american consumes. For example, beef requires 15,500L of water per kilogram and chicken requires 3900L of water per kilogram. All toll, the water necessary to produce food is more than all other uses, specifically agriculture requires 80 to 90% of the worlds water resources and therefore by altering your agricultural practices you will have an enormous impact on the world allowing people who are eating less water intensive foods more room to expand as they inevitably will.
In support of this idea, the animal right organization PETA, has launched a campaign displaying shower curtains which read, “Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegan! 1 lb. of Meat Equals 6 Months of Showers.” Although it’s really not known how accurate this statement is the overall point is there: Animal agriculture accounts for over half of the fresh water consumption. This comes from the water which animals drink as well as the accumulation of water used in the crops they eat. Americans eat on average a half, pound of meat a day and for 1 pound of beef, you use between 435-2500 Gallons of water. The demand for meat on a global scale is expected to have doubled by 2050. This increase is unsustainable, but by switching to a diet/lifestyle with a smaller animal consumption, you move towards sustainability. To put this into measurable figures, an omnivore diet uses 4200 gallons a day, a vegetarian diet uses 1200 gallons a day, a vegan diet uses 300 gallons a day.




http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/11/vegetarians-solve-water-crisi/

http://animals.change.org/blog/view/worried_about_the_global_water_crisis_stop_eating_meat