As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise many people are looking for an easy one-size-fits-all solution to our climate problem. One of the trendiest options is going vegan. Over recent years people have raised questions about the impact of eating massive amounts of meat and suggested that everyone going vegan could solve our climate crisis.

So, what’s the real environmental impact of our meat, and can going vegan really save the environment?

Many are concerned about the amount of water and food it takes to produce a pound of beef, but the reality is a typical cow’s water footprint is 94% green water. This means that 94% of a cow’s water footprint is just rainwater, and of course, once that water is used it’s not gone forever. It’s urinated out and cycled back into the environment. In fact, almonds end up using less green water than beef.

Recommended: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut 

Additionally, many are worried about the amount of food it takes to produce a pound of beef. Couldn’t we be feeding more people with all that food? More than 85% of livestock feed is non-human edible, and in the end, 4.3 billion kilograms of non-human edible food gets fed to livestock.

In a recent “What I’ve Learned” video the narrator goes into many of the common problems with the carbon footprint of our meat and why it’s actually more nuanced than you might think.

At the end of the day, the government and big businesses need to be held responsible for their role in destroying the environment. The role of fixing the environment does not fall on the individual consumer, but rather, the producer. If you’re curious about how eating sustainable agriculture stacks up against going vegan check out this article.

A new peer-reviewed scientific paper concludes that glyphosate-based herbicides do not contribute to sustainable agriculture, and in fact harm human and animal health, soil, and biodiversity.

This contradicts the narrative that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides are good for the environment because they allow farmers to avoid plowing, consequently conserving soil.

The paper explores whether glyphosate-based herbicides are sustainable by examining their effects in the areas of human health, no-till agriculture, soil quality, aquatic creatures, and beneficial non-target species

It occurred to me that most of the emphasis was being placed on whether glyphosate caused human cancer and not on its impacts on the environment. That’s when I thought that if glyphosate was ever to be compatible with sustainable agriculture, it would have to have benign effects on the quality of the soil, non-target species, and mammalian cells. Pro-glyphosate supporters emphasised its value for protecting topsoil in no-till agriculture. That is what got me to investigate the science of glyphosate-based herbicides in their system-wide effects.

Glyphosate-based herbicides do not contribute to sustainable agriculture

The study is not the first of its kind, as many are now aware of the problems with glyphosate. To learn more about the effects of glyphosate both on your health and the environment, check out this article.

Related: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut 

The guardian recently analyzed data from 44 recent studies of more than 9,000 seafood samples from supermarkets, restaurants, and fishmongers. The data collected comes from more than 30 countries and shows that 36% of seafood was mislabeled.

Photo credit: MementoImage/Getty Images/iStockphoto

In some cases, fish were labeled as different species in the same family. In many cases, seafood is a cheaper, unpopular species of fish compared to what is supposed to be sold.

Because seafood is one of the most popular foods traded internationally, there is more room for mislabeling due to complex supply chains. The mislabeling of seafood is not a new problem and is significantly worse in restaurants than in stores.

Substituted fish can pose health risks. One frequent substitute for some varieties of tuna is escolar, a hard-to-digest oilfish. Others have unique parasites that may threaten health. Still others are less nutritious: when tilapia is a stand-in for red snapper, people are eating a fish with lower levels of nutrients, including lower omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Revealed: seafood fraud happening on a vast global scale

Between the mislabeling of seafood and the abundance of microplastics and other toxins often present in seafood, I generally try to avoid it altogether. When I do eat meat I stick to local grass fed organic meat, usually beef or pork.

Government emails have shown that Bayer and lobbyist CropLife America are working with US government officials to pressure Mexico to reverse the ban on Glyphosate.

Previously, lobbyists and Bayer pressured Thailand to drop its plans to ban Glyphosate in 2019. Thailand dropped the ban after the US threatened trade disruptions.

The emails reviewed by the Guardian come from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and other US agencies. They detail worry and frustration with Mexico’s position. One email makes a reference to staff within López Obrador’s administration as “vocal anti-biotechnology activists”, and another email states that Mexico’s health agency (Cofepris) is “becoming a big time problem”.

Mexico’s president is still moving forward with the Glyphosate ban, giving farmers until 2024 to completely phase out Glyphosate. He is also calling for the phase-out of GMO-Corn.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup and is known to cause cancer and other health problems.

Recommended: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

A new study by a group of researchers has further shown the damages of Glyphosate on honeybees at or below recommended levels. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup.

Image credit: VAN AZIMOV SHUTTERSTOCK

The research was published in Scientific Reports, and conducted by researchers associated with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing and the Chinese Bureau of Landscape and Forestry.

Honeybees were found to be significantly impaired after being exposed to Roundup, indicating that exposure to Roundup may “negatively affect the search and collection of resources and the coordination of foraging activities” by the honeybees. The climbing ability of the bees was also negatively affected after exposure to Roundup.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

The researchers said there is a need for a “reliable herbicide spraying early warning system” in rural areas of China because beekeepers in those areas are “usually not informed before herbicides are sprayed” and “frequent poisoning incidents of honeybees” occur.

New study examines Roundup herbicide impact on honeybees

This is not the first study of its kind. Many studies have shown the negative effects of Roundup. Roundup has done significant damage to all aspects of the environment.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Despite warnings about the levels of arsenic in U.S rice potentially increasing cancer risk, a study by Harvard has shown that long term consumption of rice (white or brown) was not associated with a risk of developing cancer.

That being said, the levels of arsenic in brown rice has still been a cause for concern. Do the benefits of brown rice outweigh the risk?

My Daily Dozen recommendation of at least three servings of whole grains a day was associated with a 10 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, a 25 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or strokes, and a 17 percent lower risk of dying prematurely across the board, whereas rice consumption in general was not associated with mortality and was not found to be protective against heart disease or stroke.

Do the Pros of Brown Rice Outweigh the Cons of Arsenic?

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

Many studies have found brown rice to have benefits. One study showed an improvement in insulin levels after five days of eating brown rice compared to white rice. Another study showed that eating a cup of brown rice a day could reduce weight, BMI, and diastole blood pressure.

You should be prioritizing fresh produce above grains in your diet to be as healthy as possible but you don’t have to completely cut out brown rice. Lundberg Farms, in California, produces brown rice with low levels of arsenic and continues to find ways to lower their arsenic levels further.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

More than 100 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer is sprayed on crops every year. When sprayed, the nitrogen releases nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Over recent years Nitrous Oxide emissions from natural sources have remained stagnate, whereas emissions from human causes have skyrocketed over the last couple of decades. Concentrations of nitrous oxide have reached 331 parts per billion in 2018, 22% higher than before the industrial era. Emissions are caused by the use of synthetic fertilizers.

The emissions are created through microbial processes in soils. The use of nitrogen in synthetic fertilizers and manure is a key driver of this process. Other human sources of N₂O include the chemical industry, wastewater and the burning of fossil fuels.

New research: nitrous oxide emissions 300 times more powerful than CO₂ are jeopardising Earth’s future

Nitrous Oxide is typically destroyed in the atmosphere by solar radiation, but The Conversation reports that we’re currently emitting it faster than it’s being destroyed. Nitrous Oxide has 300 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide and stays in the atmosphere for an average of 116 years.

Research from the intergovernmental panel on Climate change has shown that we have exceeded the levels of nitrous oxide expected in all of our developed scenarios for the future. We are on track to see a global temperature increase of 3 degrees Celsius, this century.

Emissions of nitrous oxide have grown 30% globally over the last three decades. Brazil, China, and India have been some of the top contributors, with growing economies and increasing numbers of livestock and crop production. In Europe, nitrous oxide emissions have decreased over the past two decades- even while agricultural productivity increased. Europe had implemented governmental policies to reduce pollution and encourage more efficient fertilizer use.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions we should focus on sustainable small scale agriculture that promotes carbon sequestration. Our health and environment are very intertwined. By eating locally grown organic produce that is good for your body, you can also do good for the Earth.