A proponent of the vegan diet writes a blog post that claims that the vegan diet is the only way to "reduce your carbon footprint, with respect to food, because it cuts your carbon footprint in half" and shows the graph above. Which of the following directly supports this claim? A) According to the \(10 \%\) rule, only \(10 \%\) of energy is passed from producers to consumers, so when humans consume animals, the energy harvested is greatly reduced. B) Livestock produce methane emissions and consume large amounts of plants every year. C) Deforestation for grazing livestock contributes to the loss of plants for carbon sequestration. D) Beef and lamb livestock-not chicken, fish, or porkhas the most dramatic impact on carbon footprint.

Step by step solution

01

Analyze statement A

Statement A: According to the \(10 \%\) rule, only \(10 \%\) of energy is passed from producers to consumers, so when humans consume animals, the energy harvested is greatly reduced. This statement talks about the \(10 \%\) rule and energy transfer between producers and consumers. Although it explains the energy loss in consuming animals, it doesn't directly support the claim about the vegan diet reducing carbon footprint. So, statement A is not the answer.

02

Analyze statement B

Statement B: Livestock produce methane emissions and consume large amounts of plants every year. This statement explains that livestock are a significant source of methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas, and that they consume a large number of plants. It implies that by removing livestock from our diet, we can reduce methane emissions and increase the number of plants available for human consumption. This statement directly supports the claim about the vegan diet reducing carbon footprint. So, statement B is a possible answer.

03

Analyze statement C

Statement C: Deforestation for grazing livestock contributes to the loss of plants for carbon sequestration. This statement explains that deforestation for livestock grazing leads to the loss of plants, which are important for carbon sequestration. It implies that by adopting a vegan diet, we can reduce the demand for livestock grazing land and the loss of plants. This statement also supports the claim about the vegan diet reducing carbon footprint. So, statement C is another possible answer.

04

Analyze statement D

Statement D: Beef and lamb livestock-not chicken, fish, or pork-has the most dramatic impact on carbon footprint. This statement outlines that beef and lamb livestock have the most significant impact on carbon footprint compared to chicken, fish, or pork. Although it shows the difference among various sources of animal-based food, it doesn't directly support the claim about the vegan diet reducing carbon footprint. So, statement D is not the answer.

05

Identify the correct statement

After analyzing all four statements, we found that statements B and C directly support the claim about the vegan diet reducing carbon footprint. However, between these two, statement B is more directly related to the claim, as it addresses both methane emissions from livestock and the resources consumed by them (plants). Therefore, the correct answer is B) Livestock produce methane emissions and consume large amounts of plants every year.

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