Eating Meat Is Good For The Planet - Here's Why

Travis
April 24, 2025
7:48 am
Co2, Food, Mad Greenies, Net Zero, Positive Climatology

Sorry, (not sorry) vegans and climate alarmists, might want to sit this one out as we dive into the most amazing food source on the planet – meat!

Why Eating Meat Could Be the Ultimate Act of Planetary Stewardship

We are going to settle this question once and for all – Is eating meat good or bad for the planet? Forget the sanctimonious vegan manifestos, apocalyptic climate headlines, demonising your steak. It’s time to reframe meat—especially from ruminants like cows—as not just benign but indispensable for Earth’s ecosystems and human well-being. The anti-meat narrative, peddled by glossy documentaries and zealous activists, crumbles under scrutiny when you examine the science of biology, ecology, and regenerative agriculture. Cows aren’t climate villains; they’re nature’s allies, cycling carbon, rebuilding soils, and delivering unmatched nutrition. And let’s embrace a liberating truth: CO2, far from being a pollutant, is the gas of life, fuelling lush plant growth, abundant harvests, and a thriving biosphere. This isn’t about clinging to dogma—it’s about embracing reason, evidence, and a holistic view of our planet’s complex systems. Meat, particularly from well-managed livestock, isn’t just defensible; it’s a cornerstone of a regenerative future. The simplistic “plant-based” gospel ignores the ecological and nutritional realities that make meat a force for good.

No food source on the planet has been the target of such demonisation as meat. Particularly cows. Why could that be, why would the proponents of The Climate Con be looking to attack this food source specifically whilst pushing for plant and bug based diets? In this article we will explain why eating meat is good for you, society and the planet. Hold on tight because this never discussed before talking point might blow your mind considering how nearly everywhere you look we are being told cows are destroying the planet and eating them is basically committing collective suicide.

Rethinking the “Cow-Burpocalypse”

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “Cow farts are frying the planet!” But before you sign a petition to muzzle every bovine in sight, let’s pause and examine the narrative. Methane from cows isn’t some novel industrial pollutant—it’s part of an ancient, balanced loop. When a cow eats grass, it’s simply liberating the carbon the plant just grabbed from the air. That methane hangs out in the atmosphere for roughly a decade before converting back to CO2 and water—then the grass photosynthesises it again. As long as herd sizes stay relatively stable, you haven’t “added” extra carbon; you’ve just kept Earth’s slow cooker humming along. And if you’re one of those folks who thinks any warming is pure evil, remember: a few extra degrees can extend growing seasons, boost plant productivity, and transform marginal lands into thriving meadows.

Now, here’s the kicker: mainstream climate narratives often hype CO2 as the ultimate villain, but more CO2 isn’t bad. Plants thrive on it, boosting crop yields and greening deserts—facts conveniently drowned out by alarmist dogma. The “settled science” crowd loves to push apocalyptic models, yet many overstate warming or cherry-pick data, ignoring natural climate variability or solar cycles.

Nature’s Carbon Recycler: The Biogenic Carbon Cycle

Cows don’t conjure carbon from thin air—they’re integral to the biogenic carbon cycle, a natural, self-regulating system that’s been perfecting itself for millions of years. This elegant loop showcases CO2’s role as the gas of life, driving the food web that sustains us all.

Grass Uptake: Every blade of grass is a miniature CO2-processing powerhouse, with chloroplasts acting like tiny green vacuums that eagerly suck up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, grasses convert CO2—the gas of life—into energy-rich sugars, fuelling lush growth that forms the foundation of pasture ecosystems.
Rumen Remix: Inside the cow’s multi-chambered stomach, a microbial symphony ferments plant material, transforming grasses into nutrient-dense meat and milk while releasing methane (CH4). Crucially, this methane isn’t “new” carbon—it’s repackaged from the CO2 that grasses absorbed during photosynthesis. The rumen’s microbes break down cellulose, a feat humans can’t replicate, upcycling inedible plants into bioavailable protein
Atmospheric Turnover: Methane from cows has a brief atmospheric cameo, with a half-life of about 9–12 years, compared to the centuries or millennia it takes for fossil-fuel-derived CO2 to cycle out. Once released, methane oxidises into CO2 and water, rejoining the biogenic carbon cycle where plants eagerly absorb it
Photosynthetic Payoff: When methane oxidises in the atmosphere, it transforms into CO2, which returns to Earth—sometimes literally through rainfall—to stimulate the next wave of grass growth. This photosynthetic payoff completes the biogenic carbon cycle, ensuring no carbon is “lost” but rather recycled in a continuous loop. Grasses, powered by CO2’s life-giving properties, absorb this carbon to grow denser and lusher.

This closed-loop system is why well-managed grazing can be nearly carbon-neutral—and why you might actually want a herd on your land.

Harbingers of Hope: How Cows Regenerate Land

Managed grazing is regenerative. Think of cows as living mulch-makers. The tired claim that cows “destroy the land” is a gross distortion of reality. Far from harming the planet, properly managed cattle are ecological superheroes, regenerating degraded soils and breathing life into landscapes. Regenerative grazing mimics the ancient migrations of bison and wildebeest, creating thriving ecosystems where industrial agriculture leaves scars.

Root Stimulation: A good bite from a cow does wonders for grasslands, far beyond what any lawnmower could achieve. When cattle graze, they stimulate grasses to grow denser, sending roots deeper into the soil, which enhances ground quality and ecosystem resilience
Soil Builders: As cows move across pastures, their hooves churn the earth, mixing organic matter like plant debris and manure into the soil’s top layers. This natural tillage improves water infiltration, allowing rainfall to penetrate deeply rather than run off, which reduces erosion and supports plant growth.
Natural Fertiliser: Cow manure is a powerhouse of fertility, delivering a rich blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and microbial life directly to the soil—no synthetic chemicals needed. Each deposit enriches pastures, fuelling plant growth and fostering a vibrant underground microbiome that breaks down nutrients for grasses to absorb.
Biodiversity boost: Well-managed pastures teem with insects, birds, and native plants, unlike the sterile monocultures of soy or corn. Cattle hooves aerate soil, promoting microbial life and water infiltration—benefits no tractor can replicate.

Across thousands of acres, rotational grazing turns degraded rangeland into velvet-green pastures.

Livestock: Upcycling Agricultural Waste into Nutritional Treasure

The plant-based crowd loves to ignore this inconvenient truth: about 84% of what livestock eat is inedible to humans. Cows, pigs, and chickens are nature’s ultimate upcyclers, transforming agricultural byproducts into nutrient-dense meat and dairy that fuel human health.

What they eat: Livestock consume almond hulls, brewer’s spent grain, beet pulp, citrus peels, cottonseed meal, and crop residues—materials that would otherwise rot in landfills, releasing methane without benefit. Cows turn this “waste” into high-quality protein, healthy fats, and bioavailable micronutrients.
Efficiency in action: This process maximises our food system’s efficiency, ensuring no scrap goes to waste. Without livestock, we’d need vast new farmlands to grow human-edible crops, destroying habitats and releasing stored soil carbon.

The notion that cattle “steal” food from humans is laughably detached from reality—unless you’re craving a wheat straw smoothie. By eating meat, you’re supporting a system that turns trash into treasure, reduces landfill waste, and leverages CO2’s bounty. Livestock aren’t a drain; they’re the backbone of a sustainable, circular food economy.

Meat vs. Monocrops: Exposing the Real Environmental Culprit

When you compare calories per damage unit, regenerative animal agriculture often outshines industrial monocropping, despite the anti-meat propaganda. Monocrops like soy, corn, and wheat wreak havoc on ecosystems, while well-managed livestock restore them.

Monocrop destruction: Industrial crops rely on heavy pesticides and herbicides that poison pollinators, erode topsoil through constant tilling, and guzzle freshwater for irrigation. Vast farmlands replace forests and prairies, creating ecological dead zones and releasing stored soil carbon.
Regenerative benefits: Grazing cattle build topsoil, sequester CO2, and support biodiversity. Pastures host vibrant ecosystems of grasses, insects, birds, and mammals, unlike the barren monotony of a 1,000-acre cornfield. Cattle fertilise naturally, reducing reliance on fossil fuel-intensive synthetic inputs.

Per calorie, regenerative meat is kinder to the planet than chemical-soaked monocultures. The runoff from soy fields poisons rivers and oceans. Next time someone lectures you about your burger, ask about the ecological toll of their quinoa bowl or avocado toast, let them know meat is the more ecologically friendly choice.

Eat Meat, Celebrate CO2, Heal the Planet

This isn’t a call to shun vegetables or go full carnivore—it’s a plea to think critically, reject anti-meat dogma, and embrace the complexity of our food systems. Regeneratively raised meat rebuilds soils, upcycles waste, and delivers unparalleled nutrition, all while harmonising with a CO2-rich, life-giving planet. The truth is nuanced, defying simplistic headlines or viral tweets. Cows aren’t wrecking the Earth; they’re restoring it, cycling carbon, enriching ecosystems, and nourishing humanity. CO2 isn’t the enemy—it’s the fuel for a greener, more abundant future. So, the next time someone guilts you over your ribeye, counter with the facts: their monocrop-derived vegan patty carries a heavy toll of pesticide runoff, habitat loss, and soil degradation. Then savour your meal, knowing it’s not just delicious but a vote for a regenerative, CO2-fuelled world. Eat meat, celebrate the gas of life, and let’s build a future where humans and nature flourish in harmony.