I feel that becoming vegetarian is one way to decrease someone's carbon footprint. As I have been vegetarians my entire life, I compared my carbon footprint to my brother's who is not vegetarian and instead omnivorous. I found that his footprint was over twice the size of mine. This data shows the difference that not eating meat makes. I can assume that this is an accurate comparison as the other factors of our carbon footprints were relatively similar as we live in the same house and do many of the same activities. Further, the range of our carbon footprints is due to the amount of carbon dioxide that livestock produce. According to Skeptica Science: https://www.skepticalscience.com/how-mu … to-gw.html
14%-18% of greenhouse gases are produced by animal agriculture. This is why embracing a lifestyle with increased vegetarianism is key to protecting the earth.

This is such a great idea. I found on Huffington Post that "The researchers found that meat-eaters’ dietary greenhouse gas emissions were twice as high as vegans’." In addition to vegetarian, vegan is a great way to help the environment. The fact that meat-eaters produce twice as much as vegans is an incredible amount.

Becoming vegan is also a great alternative to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Becuase of their reduction of greenhouse gases, these dietary alternatives to being an omnivore are sustainable and enjoyable. I think that it would be beneficial for the environment for the awareness of vegetarianism and veganism to be expanded as Vegetarian Times states, "3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet."

I agree and disagree with you Reese because everybody in the world becoming vegetarian will surely bring our carbon foot print down as a whole, but that is not going to happen. The main problem is not that we are eating and producing meat the problem is we are overproducing it. Because we are overproducing our meat we have to get more and more cows and more and more chickens to satisfy the world's immense consumption of meat. Reese your idea is great, but it is not practical. Only 5% of the people on this planet are vegetarian so it is going to be extremely hard to get the other 95% of the world to completely give up on meat. It would be great if everybody in the world would become vegetarian, but that is not going to happen. Instead of us trying to accomplish the impossible to stop global warming we have to do the little things that add up to defeat global warming and that little thing is drastically reducing the amount of meat we consume not completely give up on meat.

http://www.expo2015.org/magazine/en/lif … dwide.html

I agree with Darien. Making everyone become vegetarian is not an option for decreasing carbon emissions. Forcing people to eat a certain food is infringing on people's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If people chose to eat a certain way than it wouldn't be a problem. I do agree however that the overproduction of meat is a problem. Wastefulness is the reason it is such a problem. According to the USDA, 30 to 40 percent of our food is wasted. It is not what we are eating that is the main problem, its how much of it we actually eat.

I totally agree with you that in that vegetarianism is a good way to decrease your carbon footprint. Also, that being a vegetarian can have a smaller footprint than an omnivore one. But that will be hard for the world to do because we are breeding, feeding, and slaughtering these animals that are in a business. If we were to stop eating meat, we would have to stop the business that comes with it as well.

... For a personal connection, at our school cooking, the meat causes carbon emissions, because it uses gas, coal, etc.

I understand your "investigation" but unfortunately your results are flawed. I am assuming that you and your brother live different lives, there are many outside factors besides eating meat. For example if your brother owned a car and you took the bus this would greatly increase his carbon footprint.  I understand that you believe that the cause of your low carbon footprint is vegetarianism but this is just not the case.

I see your point of view, but it is very easy to say "just go vegan". But unfortunately not everyone lives to the same tune as yours. Other people very strongly enjoy eating meat, but at the same time, many others enjoy being vegan. The vegans strongly care for the environment, as do I, but meat is not the leading factor in the destruction of the environment.  It's stuff like plastic, and carbon emitting vehicles and factories.

I totally agree but, how does the difference between you and your brother work he may drive all over and you may walk. Vegitarianism will help but your results are inconclusive

Yes.