Deforestation in Brazil is driven by a strong demand for meat
When you hear the word soy, the first thing that probably pops into your mind is “veganism”, as soy is commonly used as a meat alternative. A rising global population means more food is needed to support it, however, its not soy that is feeding the world— its feeding the world’s cattle, to keep up with the strong demand for meat. The more demand for meat, the more demand for cattle, the more demand to grow soy, hence the more rainforests that need to be cleared for agriculture, like in Brazil, where 75% of the world’s soy is produced. Since 2000, over 36 million hectares of forest have been cleared to grow soy in Brazil alone— which means more emissions of greenhouse gases, and not enough natural reserves to combat it. An increase in deforestation has been linked to droughts, poor air quality, all while encompassing a huge loss of biodiversity. As consumers, by simply cutting down our meat consumption from a few times a week to just once a week, we could reduce the strain on the world’s limited forests.