And Baby Makes 6 Billion - how vegetarianism could help wipe out hunger - Brief Article

Vegetarian Times, Nov, 1999 by Karen Dale Dustman

On October 12, 1999, the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) celebrated a very important birthday: the anticipated arrival of the 6 billionth human to the planet. With that birthday comes the inevitable question of whether or not the Earth can handle so many people. Since 1960, the world's population has doubled. And as the tally continues upward by 78 million people annually--the combined population of France, Belgium and Switzerland--zero population growth remains a lofty dream.

The reasons behind this dramatic surge are complex, but they include such factors as lack of education and limited access to reproductive planning and health care. "Some people ask, `Is 6 billion a problem? It's just a number, right?'" observes Corrie Shanahan, spokeswoman for UNPF, the largest international source of population assistance to developing countries. But the fact is that the cumulative impact on environmental resources--air, water, food and forests--is an increasing source of concern. "Most of the population growth is taking place in the developing countries that are the least able to cope with increases in population," notes Shanahan

Meeting the needs of such a huge population is a challenge that makes healthy, eco-conscious dietary habits more vital than ever. Yet news from the global kitchen is not all good. "Worldwide, we are already witnessing what demographers and food scientists are calling a nutrition transition," says Brian Halweil, staff researcher at Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research group that disseminates information on environmental topics. "People are shifting from traditional, largely plant-based diets that are rich in unprocessed whole foods to ones that include not only more meat but more packaged, processed and refined foods."

This shift, which is most evident in developing countries, is being fueled by industrialization and urbanization, says Halweil. Factors driving the trend include everything from increased availability of fast food and imported commodities to women's changing roles in society. In Asia, for example, families are beginning to substitute processed white bread for the more healthful traditional rice (which takes time to cook). And with rising incomes among the working classes comes an increased demand for meat. The result of this shift is an ecological toll on the planet, Halweil explains.

Just how much of the world's resources go to support a meat-based diet? Consider this: A whopping 38 percent of the world's grain harvest (and more than 90 percent of the world's soybeans) are fed to livestock. In addition to the vast quantities of food consumed by livestock, there's the water they drink and the problem of disposing of their waste. "We always talk about the amazing growth of the human population, but we don't talk about the concurrent increase in the livestock populations," says Halweil. Until we stop filling our plates with meat, raising livestock will continue to tax the environment. However, even small changes in meat-eating patterns would make a big difference. Worldwatch estimates that reducing American meat consumption by just 5 percent (the equivalent of one less meat dish per person per week) could save enough grain to feed 25 million people--the same number that goes hungry in the United States each day.

However, it's too simplistic to suggest that vegetarianism could solve as complex and far-reaching a problem as world hunger, Halweil admits. "To say that if people cut back on meat consumption, crops like corn and soy could go directly to feed people [instead of livestock] is a bit of an oversimplification, because hunger has many causes. I think it is fair to say, however, that on an efficiency basis, vegetarianism is the hands-down winner. Reducing global meat consumption even slightly offers win-win solutions to the range of pressing global health and ecological problems."

And there is growth in that arena: Plant-based diets are increasing in popularity in industrialized nations like the United States and United Kingdom--and even developing nations like Brazil and Thailand. "Particularly among highly educated and high-income people, we're beginning to see a movement toward vegetarianism," notes Halweil. "The chic restaurants are all incorporating that sort of cooking--lots of whole grains, vegetables, very little meat. Yet it doesn't have to be a choice for just the elite if we can focus on getting the nutrition information widely disseminated." Once heard, that message will surely bring vast improvements--for all 6 billion of us.

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