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A Pet Vegetarian Diet Can Reduce Carbon Emissions by 25%

By: MerxWire

October 12, 2023 at 11:26 AM EDT

To make dog and cat food, the world emits approximately 64 million tons of carbon every year, which is more than the carbon emissions of 13 million cars. Scientists believe that if pets switch to a vegetarian diet, they can reduce carbon emissions and benefit the climate and global food security.

Food that meets pets’ nutritional needs may be healthier than meat. (Photo via Pixabay.com)

New York, NY (Merxwire) – Pets are human soul mates. Many people enjoy having pets at home and living with them. But did you know that pets are good friends of humans and good helpers for the environment? Scientists say that if the world’s dogs and cats became vegetarians, it would help feed nearly 520 million people, which is more than the entire population of the European Union!

There are 5,000 pet cats and dogs in the world. To produce canned pets, the UK consumes approximately 3 million tons of fish and 3 million tons of meat annually and has 80 million tons of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Research led by Professor Andrew Knight at the University of Winchester believes that if all the world’s dogs became vegetarian, it would free up more land than in Saudi Arabia or Mexico and save more renewable freshwater than Denmark. The research was published in the journal Plos One.

Most people agree that a vegetarian diet is healthy, with high fiber, low saturated fat, low calories, and no cholesterol. It’s just that dogs and cats are omnivores and carnivores. Is a vegetarian diet feasible for them? Providing food that meets your pet’s nutritional needs may be healthier than eating meat. A recent study shows that plant-based diets have good digestibility and health benefits, and there is evidence that dogs and cats on a vegan diet can live as long and healthy lives as pets on a conventional meat-based diet.

Research suggests that if all the world’s dogs became vegetarian, it could slow the planet’s carbon emissions. (Photo via Pixabay.com)

The total global biomass of domestic dogs is approximately 20 million tons, roughly equal to the combined biomass of all wild terrestrial mammals. The total biomass of cats is about 2 million tons, almost twice that of the African savannah elephant. It is reported that pets consume around 20% of the world’s meat and fish, with twice the area of the UK used to produce dry pet food for cats and dogs every year. In the United States alone, the production of dry cat and dog food is equivalent to 25-30% of all emissions associated with animal consumption in the United States. Scientists believe that if the land and food used to raise animals can be converted into crops for human consumption, the world’s resources will be used more efficiently.

Ultimately, the study recommends that humans reduce raising cats and dogs, reduce overfeeding, avoid waste, and find alternative plant protein sources to slow environmental impact. However, whether humans or pets eat meat or are vegetarians, they must cherish food, eat it in moderation, and not waste resources so that the global environment can be healthy and sustainable.

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A Pet Vegetarian Diet Can Reduce Carbon Emissions by 25%

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