Does Going Vegan Really Make a Difference?

Does living vegan actually make a difference, or is it all a waste of time?

This is about far more than not eating bacon

It's easy to get disheartened, to feel like the fight is too big, that we'll never make a difference. But, being vegan does make a huge difference. I'm just doing to dump some numbers for you to look at and then decide are you making a difference. In my opinion, you are:

1. Greenhouse Gases (CO₂ & Methane) Saved

• Per day: ≈10 kg CO₂ equivalent

• Per month: ≈300 kg CO₂ equivalent

• Per year: ≈3,600 kg CO₂ equivalent

Equivalent to driving about 5,900 miles (9,500 km) in an average gasoline car.

2. Methane Reduction (CH₄)

• Animal agriculture is responsible for 37% of methane emissions, a gas with 80x the warming potential of CO₂ over 20 years.

3. Water Saved

• Per day: ≈1,100 gallons (4,200 litres)

• Per month: ≈33,000 gallons (125,000 litres)

• Per year: ≈400,000 gallons (1.5 million litres)

Equivalent to not showering for 66 years.  Nasty, but true.

4. Land Saved

• Per day: ≈30 square feet (2.8 m²)

• Per month: ≈900 square feet (84 m²)

• Per year: ≈10,950 square feet (≈1,000 m² / 0.1 hectare)

Equivalent to the size of two tennis courts.

5. Animal Lives Saved

• Per day: ≈1 animal

• Per month: ≈30 animals

• Per year: ≈365+ animals

This includes land animals and an even greater number of marine animals (due to bycatch in fishing).

6. Forest & Biodiversity Preservation

• 91% of Amazon deforestation is driven by animal agriculture.

• Going vegan reduces the demand for land used for livestock and feed crops, which helps protect forests, wildlife, and indigenous lands.

7. Ocean & Waterway Protection

• Animal agriculture is the leading cause of ocean dead zones, water pollution, and species extinction due to runoff of manure, antibiotics, and fertilisers.

• 80% of global fish stocks are overfished or depleted, and switching to a plant-based diet reduces demand for destructive fishing practices.

8. Antibiotic Reduction

• 70–80% of antibiotics worldwide are used in animal farming, leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

• Going vegan helps reduce antibiotic use and the risk of antibiotic resistance in humans.

Bottom Line

Going vegan daily has a huge cumulative impact over time, saving thousands of animals, millions of gallons of water and tonnes of CO₂ while reducing deforestation, pollution and disease risks.

Still feeling disheartened?

#GoVegan #VeganForThePlanet