Almond milk is one of the most sought-after alternative dairy products. However, for all its health benefits, its impact on the environment has been robust.
More than 80% of the world's almonds come from California, which has been suffering from a terrible drought lately.
Each plant requires about five liters of water to grow. Also, it takes 100 liters of water to produce 100 ml of almond milk.
This creates a high demand for water, forcing farmers to drill wells, which are known for affecting bridges, roads, irrigation canals and triggering destructive effects on the environment environment.
Agriculture contributes with about 14.5% of the world's greenhouse gases, of which 65% come from beef and dairy cattle.
The US Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that every pound of meat produced emits about 27 kg of carbon dioxide.
When you add up the amount of meat consumed each day around the world, it means that beef has major effects on the environment.
In addition, cows produce methane gas, classified as a harmful gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect. In many countries, deforestation for cattle raising is huge.
Lamb, as well as meat animals in agriculture, contributes to climate change. Each kg of lamb meat releases 22.9 kg of carbon emissions.
Red meat production is resource intensive as it requires a large amount of animal feed (mainly corn and soybeans).
Synthetic fertilizers and manure used to grow corn and soybeans emit nitrous oxide, a climate-warming pollutant 298 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
Cheese is also known as a major contributor of carbon dioxide. Firstly, it comes from cows, which emit methane gas. Second, it requires refrigeration and transportation.
Rice paddies are the largest source of methane gas on Earth. As the second most produced and demanded food in the world, rice production is largely responsible for rising temperatures due to methane.
Microorganisms that produce carbon monoxide produce methane in rice paddies. Rising carbon dioxide levels increase rice yields, but to some extent increase methane emissions.
Consequently, the amount of methane produced per kilogram of rice production will increase, resulting in increased temperature near the rice paddies.
Global demand for rice is on the rise, and this combined with a growing world population means that the amount of methane emissions from the rice crop will increase over time.
The production of white bread requires refining wheat flour through a series of energy-intensive alteration processes.
The processes require extensive refining which consumes energy resources and has a major negative impact on the planet. There is also growing concern about pollution caused by plastic packaging.
The production of one egg uses about 4.8 kg of carbon dioxide. Most of the emissions associated with eggs come from producing chicken feed, using energy on the farm and burning fuel during cooking.
Tuna has long been the victim of overfishing in the world's waters. Catching and consuming endangered species of tuna only serves to accelerate the extinction of species in the oceans.
The methods used by large commercial fishing vessels to catch tuna are threatening their numbers, resulting in the death of countless numbers of their species, as well as other types of marine life trapped on the ships of fishing.
Salmon is rich in omega 3, which is highly recommended by health experts. However, salmon farming is one of the most destructive aquaculture systems out there.
Aquaculture practices release waste, chemicals and disease-causing parasites into ocean waters, threatening other forms of marine life.
You are not doing justice to the environment by consuming chicken. Poultry farming is one of the main causes of environmental degradation.
Thousands of birds are crowded into exceptionally small areas, resulting in an environment filthy, nasty, and disease-ridden due to the harmful confinement of living creatures in small spaces.
