I have been a vegetarian for most of my life. Me being a vegetarian stems from the fact that I hail from a Brahmin family where religion forbids meat consumption. When people asked me why I dint eat meat, my reply during high school and college was that I was a Brahmin. During my graduate days, I used to cite ethical reasons for not eating meat. My answer changed when I became aware of how inhumanly animals were bred for meat consumption; the way little chickens, veals were held captive in cages smaller than the size of their bodies, the way they were overfed with grain and anti-biotics ripped my heart.
And now I practice environmental vegetarianism. Some reports estimate that if an average American reduced meat consumption by 10%, the amount of grain and water saved could feed the entire poor world! It is a mind boggling number. Nearly half of the water and 80% of the agricultural land in United States is dedicated for feed crops for animals raised for meat. To put the numbers into better perspective, production of 1 pound of beef requires 2400 gallons of water and 7 pounds of grain. So many states in US like Georgia, NC etc are declared to be in a state of drought, but I am sure the meat consumption of pretty much the same. Being a vegetarian, I am not sure how prices or consumption is/was affected.
Animal farming also significantly contributes to emission of green house gases like methane and CO2. A study by the University of Chicago reports that switching to a vegan diet will reduce emission more than switching from a Toyota Corolla to a hybrid Toyota Prius. All those in California waiting in queue for your Prius, you could atleast do so until you get your new Hybrid car 
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So next time when you are having Bacon or Ham for breakfast or that double Cheese burger, just pause for a moment and think if you can play your role in saving earth.
It is a shame people are raised to consider meat as the main source of food when in this day and age it is nothing more then a senseless strain of our resources, not to mention blind creulty. I think that if every person saw exactly how their food began from the very animal and the process that it experiences before reaching the grocery store or dining establishment, they would not feel apetized to eat it. It is this ignorance and blind desire not to see it in any other perspective then one taught that is leading our new generations to a downfall. If ony more people could become enlightened, change, and pass down these discoveries, then the world could truly be reborn.
Eureka!!