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Good morning. As a vegetarian myself, I feel obliged to begin by stating that I firmly believe in all the thoughts that I will be expressing for the motion today. From a young age, the ethics and morals that I would be violating by eating meat were clear to me. So today, amidst such knowledgeable minds like ours, I would like to counter all the arguments supporting meat on the menu with one simple statement: 10,000 entire species are wiped out every year because of the actions of one.
We now face the 6th mass extinction in cosmological history.
If any other organism did this, a biologist would call it a virus!
If it is possible to survive and be healthy without eating meat, one ought to choose that option instead of causing unnecessary harm to animals. Ethicists have added that humans, unlike other animals, are morally conscious of their behavior and have a choice; which is why laws govern human behavior, and we are subject to moral standards. Killing an animal, like killing a human, is only justified in extreme circumstances; consuming a living creature just for taste, convenience, or simply out of habit is unjustifiable.
Meat on the menu means supports the mass killing of animals simply for the economic gain that comes from the injustice and violence against the animals. The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two most significant contributors to severe local and global environmental problems. Livestock production is by far the biggest user of land, as it accounts for 40% of the global land surface. It is the leading player in heavy biodiversity loss, as it causes deforestation, land degradation, pollution, and global warming! Animal agriculture's global methane emissions are 11% higher than previously estimated. With such numbers, it is not sustainable to encourage the growth of the meat industry.
Also, we must delineate the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle as compared to a meat-heavy lifestyle. Vegetarians outlive meat eaters by six years! Plant-based diets are rich in vitamins and minerals, which strengthens the immune system and slows down the aging process. Additionally, a vegetarian diet can prevent and reverse certain chronic diseases. The United Nations reported that livestock generates more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks combined. Therefore, the single most important step an individual can take to combat global warming is to adopt a vegetarian diet!
I conclude by saying, "Before you ask someone why they refrain from eating meat, ask yourself why you don't." With this, I rest my case.
