Plan Op-ed

The topic I am choosing to write about is what COVID-19 has to do with Climate Change. I am writing about how the pandemic has actually been saving our planet. The debate on this topic is that going vegan could have prevented not only COVID-19 but many other human diseases. The meat industry has been one of the biggest contributors to global warming for many years now and red meat is also known to be bad for people’s health. In a Euronews article, The best way to prevent future pandemics like coronavirus? Stop eating meat and go vegan written by Elisa Allen, she writes that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that “more than 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals” (Allen, 2020). Another article from Wired believes that more regulations on meat markets and other places that deal with wildlife could help with slowing future zoonotic viruses. On the other hand, some believe going vegan might not have entirely prevented COVID-19. In the article, A vegan world wouldn’t keep diseases like COVID-19 from infecting humans, from Popular Science written by Kat Eschner, epidemiologist Gregory Gary said that even if the world went completely vegan, we would still be in contact with animals that carry foreign pathogens. He also stated that animal consumption is a significant contributor to many new human diseases which is important to know. In this debate, I think it’s important to take into consideration the idea of consuming less meat for the health of the population and the environment. My position is important because it helps us understand how to prevent a future outbreak.