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 Health. A       study conducted by Harvard University with tens of thousands of men and       women found that regular meat consumption increases colon cancer risk by       300%. In fact, meat consumption is linked to leading diseases, such as       heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and obesity. A vegan diet significantly       helps prevent and reverse these conditions. (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
World hunger.If everyone ate a plant-based diet, there would be  enough food to satisfy 10 billion people.
Economics. By shifting to a vegan  diet, the world’s governments would save US$32 trillion by 2050, or a full 80%  of total climate mitigation costs. (Netherlands  Environmental Assessment Agency)
If farmers in the American Midwest switched  from raising livestock to growing fruits and vegetables, US$882 million could  be generated in regional sales, with 9,300 jobs created and labor income  increased by US$395 million.  Producing veg alternatives to meat products  is considered a smart and attractive opportunity for the food industry. (Goodland)
UN recommends tax on       livestock.  A report issued by the United Nation’s Food and  Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommends levying fees for livestock as a way  to reduce this sector’s emission of greenhouse gases, currently estimated at  7,000 billion tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
The United Nations       Environment Program (UNEP) and the European Commission calls       for less meat.  UNEP and       European Commission have       jointly launched a major report calling for radical change in the way that       economies use resources, emphasizing that a global drop in meat       consumption is vital to avoid devastating impacts to the environment.
 |  |  |  |  | Reference |  |  |  | Analysis of Health Problems Associated with High-Protein, High-Fat, Carbohydrate-Restricted Diets Reported via an Online Registry (2004, May 25). Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine [PCRM]. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.pcrm.org/news/registry_report.html
World Animal Foundation (n.d.). Vegetarianism Eating for Life. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://worldanimalfoundation.homestead.com/Vegetarian.html
 
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Swenson, D. (2010, March). Selected Measures of the Economic Values of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production and Consumption in the Upper Midwest. Iowa State University, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/marketing_files/midwest.html
 
Goodland, R. and Anhang, J. (2009, December) : Livestock and Climate Change. World Watch Magazine 22(6). Retrieved January 11, 2011 from Worldwatch institute website http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf
Blas, J. (2010, February 18). Call for tax on livestock emissions. Financial Times. Retrieved January 11, 2011http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38154ea0-1cb2-11df-8d8e-00144feab49a.html#axzz1EWd9Zq9e
 
UN green crusade plans tax on livestock wind (2010, February 18). Agrimoney.com. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.agrimoney.com/news/un-green-crusade-plans-tax-on-livestock-wind--1368.html
 
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