Animal agriculture turns lush forests into barren deserts and discharges more pollutants into our waterways than all other human activities combined. It also kills more wildlife than any other human activity. Moreover, a November 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that the livestock sector generates 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions – more than transport!

Senior U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization official Henning Steinfeld reported that the meat industry is "one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems."

An effective long-term solution to these multiple global crises must include a transition to plant-based diets of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains. Read on to learn how animal agriculture contributes to climate change and devastates the world's impoverished people, our air, land, water, and wildlife habitats.