China Has Larger Vegetarian Population Than US

Chinese culture has traditionally prized meat as a sign of prosperity, but as the animal industry’s devastating toll on the environment becomes more apparent, the Eastern nation has started to warm up to a plant-based diet. Tainted drinking water and polluted air are just some of the dangerous eco-dilemmas the Chinese meat industry has recently been criticized for compromising the peoples’ health. According to Public Radio International, only four to five percent of Chinese citizens have adopted a meat-free lifestyle, but at more than 50 million people, that number surpasses the United States’ meat-free population. The green effort is aided by the growing number of veggie options at restaurants that cater to a mainstream crowd, such as pizza and faux meat.