Conserving the World’s Resources through Veganism

Key Takeaways

• Animal agriculture leads to the overuse and destruction of scarce resources such as freshwater, habitable land, and soil.

• Most of the world’s freshwater is used for producing animal products due to their high water footprint. Almost half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, 77% of which is used for raising livestock, causing mass deforestation and soil erosion.

• By adopting a vegan lifestyle, we can reduce the water footprint of our diets by about 50%, as well as free up millions of acres of habitable land, reducing global farmland use by 75% and preventing further soil deterioration.

Allah (SWT) has blessed us with an abundance of resources. With fresh, clean water to drink, fertile soil to grow food, and clean air to breathe, we have been given all that we need to thrive on this Earth. However, not only is our present lifestyle disrupting the perfect balance (Mizan) that Allah (SWT) has created in this world, it is also destroying our beautiful home.

Our global food system in particular, dominated by animal-based products, is responsible for the release of harmful greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming. It is also one of the major causes of global resource depletion.

Scarce resources such as freshwater and habitable land around the globe are being inefficiently utilized and wasted by animal agriculture, in turn putting the lives of millions of humans and animals at risk.

It is imperative that we change our ways to save the environment and live up to our responsibility as Khulafah of the Earth. A global shift towards veganism can help us achieve this aim.

Below we discuss how veganism can help us address the challenge of global resource conservation.

Veganism helps conserve freshwater

Water occupies an important position in Islam. It is a blessed means of purification, as well as the source from which all life emerged:

Freshwater, i.e. water with low dissolved salt concentration, is crucial for the survival of human beings and serves as a natural habitat for many species. However, it is also a rare resource, making up only 3% of the world’s total water supply.

But despite its scarcity, 70% of global freshwater goes towards agricultural production.

Animal products, in particular, are notorious for having a very high ‘water footprint’ (i.e. the amount of water used to produce a good/service). For example, as the image below shows, one kg of beef requires close to 3,000 liters of freshwater!

Source: Our World in Data

While almost half of the world’s population faces water shortages at least one month a year, this is an incredible waste of this precious resource. By saying no to animal products we can reduce our water footprint by more than 50%. 

Thus, through a vegan lifestyle, we can help preserve the world’s water and live in line with the injunctions of Allah (SWT):

Veganism preserves habitable land and soil

Almost half (46%) of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, with 77% of this agricultural land being used for raising livestock (including growing crops for livestock feed).

Source: Our World in Data

This incredible and wasteful expansion of global agricultural land is the result of extensive deforestation and its transformation into farmland. It is estimated that every hour, forest land equal to 300 football fields is cleared out!

However, this large-scale deforestation not only leads to the destruction of habitats, it also leads to soil erosion. Without the plant cover provided by forests, the soil erodes and sweeps land into rivers, leaving it unfit for cultivation. Similarly, overgrazing of the land by livestock results in the reduction of ground cover, leaving the soil vulnerable to being washed away into rivers or blown away by the wind.

Such soil erosion is an example of how we humans are disrupting the natural balance (Mizan) upon which Allah (SWT) has created the Earth, where each microorganism has a role to play. He (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

By adopting a vegan lifestyle, and giving up our insatiable desire for animal products, we would be able to free up millions of acres of habitable land, reducing global farmland use by 75%. 

By freeing up land, much of the environment would be able to “rewild” and return to its natural state, as created by the Almighty.

Ready to make a change?

So, are you ready to make a difference and go vegan? We appreciate that lifestyle changes can be overwhelming, so we’ve compiled a directory of community groups near you where you can find like-minded individuals who can help and support you as you embark on this journey.