Nil Zacharias and Gene Stone’s engrossing book Eat for the Planet: Saving the World One Bite at a Time; shares new research, fascinating infographics, and arguments that endorse what scientists around the world are starting to profess: that the only way to rescue the earth is to gradually replace meat with plant-based meals. Accordingly, this paper will summarize each chapter of Nil Zacharias’s book Eat for the Planet respectively from the first chapter to the last one.
Chapter one discusses land, concluding that it was created largely for people and animals. It demonstrates that although the bulk of the world’s arable land is dedicated to livestock and their feed, beef production accounts for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). As a result, the chapter warns that by 2050, there will be insufficient land to maintain the human population, and food and that the worldwide hunger crisis will result in all-out conflict and exodus.
Chapter two demonstrates that livestock is the primary user of finite freshwater resources, with a typical American household consuming 58 pounds of beef, 50 pounds of pork, and 91 pounds of chicken (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). Consequently, a plant-based diet would need 1,500 gallons less water per person per day, enough to cover the indoor requirements of fifteen individuals in the United States (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). Thus, if people do not reform, there will be insufficient land to maintain the human population and food.
Chapter three discusses food where it demonstrates that about 21,000 individuals die each day as a result of hunger or hunger-related causes (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). Additionally, it notes that 75% of the world’s food is produced by just 12 plants and 5 animal species, implying that global food consumption is anticipated to double in the next 40 years (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). This will result in severe food shortages and an increase in the worldwide rate of hunger.
Chapter four, on the other hand, is devoted to energy and emissions challenges. It demonstrates that livestock emits more greenhouse gases than vehicles and other modes of transport combined. Thus, adopting a largely plant-based/vegetarian diet may cut world mortality significantly. Chapter five demonstrates that livestock alone creates 369 million tons of waste each year in the United States (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). This is significantly more garbage than any farm could recycle as fertilizer, and hence the bulk of it is left to fester in open-air waste lagoons.
As chapter six demonstrates, about 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared in the last 40 years (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). Deforestation accounts for about 15% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and plays a critical role in climate regulation (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). As a result, by eliminating industrial animal-based foods from human diets, humans may considerably limit the pace of rainforest destruction.
Chapter seven indicates that, since 1970, the global population of fish, mammals, birds, and reptiles has declined by 58 percent (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). By 2050, one in every six species on Earth may face extinction if humans do not drastically reduce food production and consumption (Zacharias & Stone, 2018). For example, Zacharias and Stone (2018) note that reduction of bees alone would wreak havoc on human’s food supply since they pollinate about 250,000 plant species.
Chapter eight discusses a better route that attempts to alter perspectives on eating and keep up with changing circumstances. For example, plant-based meals are getting healthier, tastier, and popular by substituting vegetables, grains, and plant proteins such as lentils, nuts, seeds, and beans for different animal proteins. Without a doubt, positive results will be obtained when more people realize that plant-based meals have more dietary benefits.
Zacharias’s Eat for the Planet is an educative book that many conservation enthusiasts and policymakers will find useful. Every chapter contains anecdotes and evidence which support the authors’ arguments. From chapter one to eight, the authors describe recent findings and intriguing discussions that back up claims that any changes in diet, no matter how small, could have a long-term effect on the biosphere.
Reference
Zacharias, N., & Stone, G. (2018). Eat for the planet: Saving the world one bite at a time. Abrams.