Animals in Crisis: the data that will shock you
The number of humans on the Earth has exploded, rising from 2.5 billion in the 1950s to 8+ billion in 2024. Now, data shows that as individuals, people are eating more animals than ever.
The data presented here comes mostly from the FAO – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It puts the use of animals for food into sobering perspective: this is simply not sustainable. With a rising population and the adoption of more animal-based foods, animal agriculture is destroying the environment.
Sometimes the clarity of scientific data can shock our awareness, and the data makes it clear: we are rapidly destroying the earth and making life a living hell for the animals on this planet.
Please note: These figures don’t take into account aquatic animals used for food. The numbers are so vast that there are only estimates, in the trillions!
The number of land animals slaughtered worldwide for consumption in 2022 increased to over 83 billion
Data derived from: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
In Australia, the overall animals slaughtered for consumption increased 4-fold in the last 50 years
Data derived from: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
Over the last 50 years in Australia, the number of cows killed has decreased by 5%* and the number of sheep decreased by 47%, however all other animals have increased, with chickens by far the most exploited
* comparing 2022 with 1972 figures
Data derived from: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
The rate of animals slaughtered per person in Australia has more than doubled in the last 50 years
Data derived from: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/australia-population
Worldwide, animals slaughtered for consumption has increased more than 5-fold in the last 50 years
Data derived from: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
The rate of animals slaughtered per person worldwide has nearly tripled in the last 50 years
Data derived from: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/world-population-by-year
Some suggestions for how to help
1 Live Vegan
We can choose not to participate in the harm and slaughter of others, simply by being vegan. As well as saving animals, the pastures used to raise animals for food could be used to plant crops for humans (further reducing CO2 emissions), while remaining land could be reforested and returned to wildlife. For every person that becomes vegan, 4,700m2 of land could be spared for rewilding. According to Dr Joseph Poore, the director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Food Sustainability Analytics at Oxford University, that amount of land would absorb 150 tonnes of CO2 into plants and soil, and provide habitats for five birds, 15 mammals, 20 reptiles and 100 amphibians.
2 Commit to having fewer children
This is a controversial topic, but there’s no getting around it – humans are too numerous for the planet to support long term. By committing to one child per couple (where feasible), we could halve the population within a single lifetime. Future generations could then increase to two children per couple. This would reduce the strain on the Earth’s resources, give land back to wildlife and give subsequent generations the chance to thrive.
However, even if you don’t agree with reducing the rate of human reproduction, a world shift to a plant-based diet would still allow humanity to eat within its means.
3 Endorse the Plant Based Treaty
The Plant Based Treaty promotes a shift towards a just, plant-based food system that will enable us to live safely within our planetary boundaries and reforest the Earth. By endorsing the PBT you’re calling on national governments to respond to the climate emergency with a global Plant Based Treaty, which halts the expansion of animal agriculture, aids the transition toward a plant-based food system and restores key ecosystems.
4 Resist defeatist thinking
It is understandable to feel that it’s too late and feel hopeless at the scale of change required. However, humans ARE capable of coordinated change and selfless action. For example, in 1985 scientists detected a hole forming in the ozone layer, an invisible shield that absorbs harmful UV rays from the Sun, and without which complex life on Earth would not exist. The finding led the nations of the world to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the chemicals responsible for destroying ozone.
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If you’d like help switching to vegan, or just like more information, please visit veganeasy.org and try the 30 Day Vegan Easy Challenge:
