Become Vegetarian To Save Water

Water scarcity could make world go vegetarian by 2050

Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world’s population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages. Humans derive about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world’s leading water scientists.

“There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends  towards diets common in western nations,” the report by Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute  said.

“There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories.”

Dire warnings of water scarcity limiting food production come as Oxfam and the UN prepare for a possible second global food crisis in five years. Prices for staples such as corn and wheat have risen nearly 50% on international markets since June, triggered by severe droughts in the US and Russia, and weak monsoon rains in Asia.

Oxfam has forecast that the price spike will have a devastating impact in developing countries that rely heavily on food imports, including parts of Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East.

Adopting a vegetarian diet is one option to increase the amount of water available to grow more food in an increasingly climate-erratic world, the scientists said. Animal protein-rich food consumes five to 10 times more water than a vegetarian diet. One third of the world’s arable land is used to grow crops to feed animals.

Other options to feed people include eliminating waste and increasing trade between countries in food surplus and those in deficit.

[Source: Hindustan Times]

Non-Violence vegetarianism & world peace

Niramish Introduction: Non-Violence and Vegetarianism

Niramish (also spelled as Niraamish) is a Sanskrit word, also used in several modern languages. The closest English word is vegetarian. Niramish (Sanskrit: निरामिष)  signifies a person who, as a principal, opposes all kinds of violence. Though the word "Vegetarian" was coined by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom in about 1847, the practice of vegetarianism is much older. The moral, spiritual and philosophical traditions of India supported every form of life and practiced non-violence in every walk of life. They experimented vigorously with plantation and farming and shunned meat as an alternative to human food.

This ancient form of vegetarianism is still practiced by a large section of people of Indian origin and spread all over the world by Indian philosophers, especially the followers of the various branches of Indian philosophies such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Indians stressed on the importance of milk. They revered cow as mother and considered milk as part of their daily nutrition. The process was non-violent, non-exploitative and non-commercial. Though "Niramish" appears from this age-old tradition of lacto-vegetarianism, we support and promote various traditional and modern ideas of non-violence, vegetarianism and environment-friendly lifestyle.

The purpose of this blog is mainly to promote vegetarianism, compassion, non-violence and tolerance. Non-violence is the basis of all forms of life. It is the recipe for happiness on earth.  Niramish community blog is a humble effort to create awareness about a healthy lifestyle that is as violence-free as possible. Our main purpose is to promote non-violence and peace. If you want to know more about vegetarianism or if you are ready to adopt a healthy lifestyle, we are here to help you. Please be vegetarian for environment-friendliness and health.

Be a vegetarian, save the planet!