In his regular Guardian column, environmentalist George Monbiot has revealed he has converted to a plant-based diet for the planet.
According to the writer: “The world can cope with 7 or even 10 billion people. But only if we stop eating meat. Livestock farming is the most potent means by which we amplify our presence on the planet. It is the amount of land an animal-based diet needs that makes it so destructive.”
He added: “Over several years, as I became more aware of these inconvenient truths, I gradually dropped farmed meat from my diet. But I still consumed milk and eggs. I knew the dire environmental impacts of the crops (such as maize and soya) that dairy cows and chickens are fed. I knew about the waste, the climate change, theair pollution. But greed got the better of me. Cheese, yoghurt, butter, eggs – I loved them all.”
He admits he will occasionally have ‘a drop of milk’ in his tea if he is at a friend’s house-and three or four times a year will eat farmed meat.
Controversially, he will also eat ‘found’ meat. He says: “I still eat roadkill when I can find it, and animals killed as agricultural pests whose bodies might otherwise be dumped. At the moment, while pigeons, deer, rabbits and squirrels are so abundant in this country and are being killed for purposes other than meat production, eating the carcasses seems to be without ecological consequence. Perhaps you could call me a pestitarian.”