Acharya Prashant addresses the argument that plants also have life and consciousness. He begins by agreeing with the premise, stating that he respects the love for plants that this argument implies. He then proposes that if the goal is to save plants, the best way to achieve this is by not consuming meat. To illustrate his point, he presents a quantitative comparison. A vegetarian who eats half a kilogram of spinach is responsible for the consumption of roughly one kilogram of plant life. In contrast, to produce half a kilogram of mutton, a goat must consume tens or even hundreds of kilograms of plants throughout its lifetime. Therefore, the meat on a non-vegetarian's plate has a massive "plant equivalent," representing an entire field or garden. He concludes that eating half a kilogram of meat is tantamount to killing a hundred kilograms of plants. He dismisses the notion that animals for consumption grow by eating dust, emphasizing that they are fed from agricultural produce. He further explains the industrial and environmental ramifications. 99% of consumed meat comes from farms, constituting a vast industry. A staggering 70% of the world's agriculture is dedicated solely to feeding these animals. This diversion of grain contributes to human malnutrition and starvation, all to satisfy the cravings of a few. The escalating demand for meat also drives deforestation to clear more land for animal farming. He asserts that those who make the argument about plants having life are either uneducated or nursery dropouts, as they fail to see the fundamental differences between plants and animals. Finally, Acharya Prashant touches upon the biological distinctions, which he says he had not even needed to bring up until this point. Plants lack a nervous system and therefore do not experience pain. Furthermore, many parts of a plant, such as fruits, are intended to be eaten to aid in seed dispersal, making their consumption a favor to the plant. Unlike animals, plants can regenerate; a broken branch can regrow, but a severed animal limb cannot. He finds the argument that equates killing plants and animals to be born of profound foolishness.
