Can Veganism Combat Climate Change?

          CAN VEGANISM COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE?       Name of Student         Course Name of Professor University Date
Can Veganism Combat Climate Change? Introduction The concept of climate change has continued to raise significant debates across the world due to its increasing impact on human life. According to the United Nations, climate change refers to the continuous shifts in global temperatures and patterns in weather in the long term. The main causes of such changes in climate are attributed to human factors that include increasing the level of carbon emissions through activities such as burning fossil fuels (Salonen et al., 2018). Ultimately, climate change has drastic effects on the earth that could affect all living things, including drought, rising sea levels, and violent storms (Bristow, 2011). This is a cause of concern for the world since such effects are becoming more apparent with each passing year hence the need for interventions. Combating climate change is a significant step towards securing the world for future generations since its effects are reversible during such early stages of destruction. Therefore, taking the right steps towards identifying and providing interventions for climate change forms the best step toward addressing the issue. One of the solutions to combating climate change includes the transition to plant-based diets. The practice of veganism eliminates the consumption of dairy products and meat in diets, thus reducing the overreliance on animals as a source of food (Watson, 2019). The increased intake of meat and its related products, especially in the west, is considered one of the largest contributors to global warming due to the extensive farming methods. The rearing of animals to produce meat and dairy products requires massive amounts of land and input (Saaria et al., 2021). Further, the animals and products must be processed and transported to reach the respective consumers once they mature. On the other hand, farm produce requires less effort to produce and process hence providing a better option to deal with the issue of climate change. Consequently, veganism forms a viable choice for combating climate change by reducing eutrophication, greenhouse emissions, and land and water use. Theoretical Discussion The Concept of Climate Change             The climate system comprises a number of interconnected aspects, including water bodies, land surfaces, living things, the atmosphere, ice, and snow. Therefore, these components constantly interact over time, thus impacting each other. Ultimately climate change is defined as the changes or variability in precipitation, temperatures, and wind (Bristow, 2011). These changes can occur due to external factors and internal dynamics in the atmosphere. External factors are acts of God that include volcanic eruptions or changes in solar radiation patterns. At the same time, internal dynamics refer to human-induced changes in the atmosphere that affect the composition of different aspects.  &nb...