The Center for Biological Diversity's Take Extinction Off Your Plate Project
In a world with more than 7 billion people — and growing — the toll on wildlife is impossible to ignore. Animals and plants are being driven to extinction at unprecedented rates by habitat loss, pollution and climate change. Most scientists believe we’re in the sixth mass planetary extinction crisis and the first one caused by homo sapiens through our species’ rampant population growth and voracious consumption habits. One of the biggest threats to other forms of life, and to the planet’s natural systems, comes from meat production. (Learn more about the impact of meat production on the environment.)
By choosing to incorporate more plant-based meals for you and your family, you can take extinction off your plate. When you reduce your meat consumption, you’ll reduce your environmental footprint in a significant way. We’re in this together — and together we can shrink the demand for meat before it’s too late for wildlife.
Cutting just one-third of the meat from your diet can save as much as 340,667 gallons of water, more than 4,000 square feet of land, and the greenhouse gas equivalent of driving 2,700 fewer miles per year.