Documentary
20 Shocking Facts on the Environment
We are experiencing warmer years than ever, our actions cause irreversible damage to the environment. Each year tens of thousands of species go extinct, deserts are advancing and taking over the land. But there are certain shocking facts on the environment far more serious but not known to many:
1. Want to help the environment? If you we’re thinking about buying a hybrid car, think again. According to scientists from the University of Chicago, the environment could benefit more if you go vegan than if you buy an eco-friendly car.
2. Who is the #1 source of water pollution? In the U.S., the main source of water pollution is not chemical waste but the excrement of farm animals.
3. According to recent studies, 70% of the world’s marine species are at risk of extinction.
4. John Robbins in his book “The Food Revolution” reveals that you could save more water by not eating a pound of California beef rather than not showering for one whole year.
5. Fruits and vegetables go to waste every year. People cannot afford to buy them so the EU spends millions of euros annually to destroy good fruits and vegetable. The US and Canada have equally despicable food policies. This is done while over 40,000 children die every day due to starvation.
6. Animals raised for food currently generate between 15 and 20% of methane emissions globally.
7. In recent news, scientists aim for lab-grown meat. This means that a single cell taken from an animal could produce in theory the world’s annual meat supply.
8. For the first time in history, overweight people is about to reach the number of underweight people. While some countries grow more prosperous, others confront with ever serious hunger problems.
9. Fish farming has been developed to replace to wild fish stocks that are ever lower. Ironically, these farmed fish are fed wild fish thus depleting the oceans even more.
10. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. 50 million tons of paper are consumed annually by Americans, more than 850 million trees being cut down.
11. It takes 5 pounds of wild ocean fish to produce a single pound of farmed saltwater fish or shrimp.
12. Numerous species are going extinct and, by 2100, extinction may reach one third of all species now living. Not only will these animals be forever lost, but the loss of many ingredients for today’s medicine. This is produced in tropical forests and means for producers the sum of 30 billion dollars a year.
13. More than half of the world’s tropical forests have been lost. Each year, over 63,000 square miles are destroyed.
14. Don’t leave your tap running! Only a dripping tap means you’re wasting 13 liters of water a day.
15. Recycle, recycle, recycle! It takes around 450 years for a plastic bottle to degrade. Recycle paper and for every tonne of paper you save 17 trees.
16. Thinking about going vegan? According to PETA, each vegetarian saves one acre of trees every year.
17. Indonesia contains the most known mammal species, but also the most mammal species under threat.
18. Rainforests have taken thousands of years to form but every second a portion the size of a football field is destroyed.
19. According to John Robbins, two-thirds of the products on supermarket shelves now contain 
genetically engineered ingredients that are not labeled.
20. 55 square feet of tropical rainforest to produce one “quarter pounder”.
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23 comments for “20 Shocking Facts on the Environment”
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Worried about the environment? Stop having kids.
Dude, where did you come up with this shit? You need to cite your sources.
18. Rainforests have taken thousands of years to form but every second a portion the size of a football field is destroyed. - - - - are you kidding me? How the hell is that gonna happen?
“55 square feet of tropical rain forest to produce one “quarter pounder””
This really does need some BASIC explanation. The Quarter pounder down the street from my place is from a cow that is less than 100 miles from it. How does my quarter pounder relate to tropical rain forests?
I’ll agree with many of the points being made. Fish Farming is backwards in most respects and doing damage, a vegan lifestyle without a doubt requires far less energy to produce and resources to produce.
“19. According to John Robbins, two-thirds of the products on supermarket shelves now contain genetically engineered ingredients that are not labeled.”
How is that worthy of a top 20!!! This isn’t new, 2/3rds of products contain corn in some form or another. GMO corn drastically reduces the cost as well as pesticide and fertilizer requirements. Label them all you want but without GMO we need to use massive amounts of toxic chemicals to get the food volumes the world requires. GMO just makes common sense and many university educated people like myself label or no label support it. The “environmental” impact of GMO is positive and calling it a “shocking fact” is outright insane.
“14. Don’t leave your tap running! Only a dripping tap means you’re wasting 13 liters of water a day.”
NOWHERE EVEN CLOSE!!!!! To do this as a test leave a tap lightly dripping into a bucket, measure after an hour and multiply by 24. Now I agree fix your leaking tap and don’t waste water, however also look at where you live. This water isn’t “wasted” and destroyed. It goes through pipes and into a septic tank, or it goes into a sewer. From there it dilutes other waste water and filters into the ground where it rejoins the water supply, or it gets treated and returns to the water supply. If I poor water on the ground I haven’t destroyed it, even if it evaporates the water hasn’t gone anywhere its gonna come back.
“8. For the first time in history, overweight people is about to reach the number of underweight people. While some countries grow more prosperous, others confront with ever serious hunger problems.”
Alright so how is this a shocking fact about the environment and not economics or politics instead. The Environment cannot grow food in drought, we are very much aware of this.
I’ve read the bit on current hybrids being no better or even worse than gasoline cars. I think people are riding on one study that was probably wrong. When I’m sitting at red lights and the gasoline motor shuts down, then I take off using electric, you can’t tell me that’s not good for the environment, and better than a gasoline or diesel car.
Half of this article is completly retarded. Did you just pull this out of your ass?
Not true this so bogus !!!!!!!!!!
ext 6 million people will starve from us trying to make bio-fuel the farm land that was used for growing crops to feed people is now being used to grow plants to make bio-fuels
Any statement that contains “according to PETA” has no credibility whatsoever.
on the pvc problem… there is a microbe scientists have found that only consumes the plastics that have been dumped in the ground… i guess thats one less problem to keep worrying about! and if the fuckin governments would stop destroying trees for sub standard paper and use hemp which grows like wild fire on the shittiest of soils and creates far superior quality long lasting paper (and plastics), im sure things would look up. but theres no profits in thinking… just blame it on everyone elses greed!
Im quoting Alan “you can’t tell me that’s not good for the environment, and better than a gasoline or diesel car.”
Well the argument in that is your battery is very wastefull and cannot be recycled much and they do run out after 1000 charges or maybe more but either way it will die and you will replace it with a NEW one wich is a biiig wast bucko.
Whoever wrote the article needs to get their grammar in check. Take the title as an example: “20 Shocking Facts on the Environment”. If you ask me “about” sounds much better than “on”.
The first paragraph is sort of off too. If these facts about the environment are so sobering and serious, then why have we not heard of them before now?
Also, at #20, how do you figure? I can make no connection between rainforests and *any* of McDonalds’ food, so maybe you can explain it to me.
Let’s see some sources, or I’m writing this off as someone simply running their mouth.
20. 55 square feet of tropical rainforest to produce one “quarter pounder
i had a few problems with some of them, but most of them seemed at least feesable, but i’d really like to see the study that proves #1 and if it is true then its most likely the most biased study ever.
oh and by the way rain forest nor any forest for that matter is destroyed for paper……really…..they don’t destroy old growth forests for paper they have what they call paper farms where they have 4-5 rotated “crops” of trees. they trees they cut down for paper are grown specifically for that purpose and are generally about 10-15 years old. they younger wood is much easier to convert into the pulp they turn into paper. in fact the more new paper companies like warehouser plant MORE trees for the next crops. you buy recycled paper and they plant LESS. and now think about it. you throw paper away. its carried to the dump by ONE trash truck…you recycle then what happens? first it’s carried by truck(diesel most times) to a sorting plant to get rid of the stuff that cannot be reused. then it’s taken by ANOTHER diesel vehicle to th actual recycling plant(these places smell just like a paper mill so they are typically far away from populated areas) then they treat it with chemicals to remove the inks and such.. this IS TOXIC WASTE that is so toxic it has to be stored in the same places they store spent nuclear fuel. recycling paper is not better for the environment, yes technically they do cut down more trees, but they are trees that WE planted specifically for the purpose. i’m 100% for supporting enviornmental reform but most of this shit is just propaganda that skews data and says it in a way that supports thier points and they not once cite any proof of what they say and a lot of it is just pure bs or circumstantial. like the dripping watter thing depends entirely on how fast it’s leaking. and etc. okay that’s enough ranting for now
Damn Steve I never thought of it that way.
you are so right, I look at that differently now.
Firstly, i do agree with most of this information. However, i most definitely agree that all these MUST be cited, for what credibility do they have if we do not have the resources from which they were taken? Secondly, these “facts” (where is the proof?) have been, i believe, hidden from most consumers eyes, but if you read the right resources and actually research it, you will find that most of these do line up. I think the main point here isn’t to necessarily attack the writer, but rather, to encourage one to do their part in preserving what we do have left of this beautiful green world.
Even thought articles like this are generally bogus… it will get people to begin thinking abuot the environment.
bob get a life
[…] far more serious but not known to many. Without further ado, here are GreenExpander’s 20 Shocking Facts on the Environment. Scared enough? Good! Here are some great facts about recycling to follow up with. Spread the […]
i saw yall were curious to why mcdonalds products cause rain forest deforestation. Its due to converting rain forests into soy fields down in south and central america. mcdonalds uses soy in about all their products as its really cheap. they get the soy from south and central american farmers have to use slash-and-burn tactics to keep up with the rising global demand.
If the rain forests in that area happen to be protected, they just bribe the government officials.
I don’t know about a quarter pounder being equal to a football field, but it does do some damage, however infinitesimal.
I just went “market vegetarian” because its better for the environment. one of the best choices i ever made. yall should do it too. best thing about being a market vegetarian is that if the meat will be going to waste if its not eaten, its just fine to eat. doesnt affect the market demand on meat, see what i’m saying?
please go vegetarian,
if your not already.
One of the best ways to defeat an arugment is to argue badly in favour of it. Your heart is in the right palce but apathy of the masses is a key obstacal to real socio/environmental cahnge; wildly exagorated “facts”, to some extent, serve to feed this sence of hopelessness. That said, I love shocking facts but try not to mix negative with positive in the one blog and futile facts like the quater pounder one should be omitted altogether. That said, the vegan, or market vegan (if it’s going to waist i’ll eat it but I won’t buy it), life style is sadly seeming to make undenyable sence.
10,000 lbs of energy from fast food was used to review and discuss this blog
retarded
I agree with a few of these points, but like others have pointed out a lot of those are just not believable or feasible at all.
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