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eligion and health are no longer the main reasons why people start to opt for meat-free dishes.

For many people, being a vegetarian is a simple way of saving the world.

"Many people do not know that livestock is a major threat to the environment," said Susianto, a nutritionist and head of the Indonesia Vegetarian Society (IVS).

According to report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006, he said, livestock production was one of the major causes of the world*s most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, and air and water pollution.

"So, which causes more greenhouse gas emissions: rearing cattle or driving cars?" he said.

"This might surprise you, but according to the report, about 18 percent of greenhouse gas emission is caused by livestock sector, while transport *only' generates 13 percent," Susianto said.

The livestock sector also creates 65 percent of nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this comes from fertilizer.

It produces 37 percent of methane (23 times as warming as CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and 64 percent of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.

With increased prosperity, people are consuming more meat and dairy products every year.

The survey indicates that expanding population and incomes worldwide, along with changing food preferences, are stimulating a rapid increase in the demand for meat, milk and eggs.

The FAO reported that global meat production in 2050 will be more than double, from 229 million tons in 1999/2001 to 465 million tons, while milk output is set to climb from 580 million to 1,043 million tons.

However, the report says, the livestock sector*s potential contribution to solving environmental problems is equally large, and major improvements could be achieved at a reasonable cost.