By Dr. Rajat Bhatt, Guest WriterI have been a regular follower of The White Coat Investor blog for several years. Over this time, I have built my portfolio nest egg and gained valuable wisdom. As I have aged, my investing goals have changed. As physicians, we owe a responsibility to the environment, and we should set a good example of environmental stewardship for our patients and children.
Physicians have a significant role in shaping societal thinking, and they are role models. We should promote sustainable consumption by educating our patients about their impacts on the environment as well.
We should encourage the three words:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
Take a moment to reflect on your activities over this past year. How many luxuries did you indulge in—driving opulent EVs oblivious to the coal power source for electricity, taking extravagant cruises that pollute fragile ecosystems, or buying unnecessary plastic items that ultimately land in the oceans? We even need to look into our meat consumption and how it is affecting the ecosystem and contributing to climate change. We rationalize these as rewards for our hard work, but we are unaware of the lasting consequences.
About 10 years ago, I laid out both a financial plan and a social responsibility plan where I outlined specific changes I could make in my own life to be a better steward of society. My first goal was transitioning to a vegetarian diet. After watching the documentary “Food, Inc.,” I was disturbed enough by industrial agriculture to quit eating meat entirely. I lost around 50 pounds over the next two years, and I have kept the weight off since. Over the years, I started eating healthier meals cooked at home more often (since vegetarian choices are limited at most restaurants), which created a positive feedback loop. While I once enjoyed restaurants, home cooking brings me greater joy and keeps me healthy.
My next goal was reducing plastic consumption. I use reusable bags and avoid single-use items. I even changed pens less frequently by replacing refills on my old ones as they do everywhere else except in the US.
In the past, new gadgets were a weakness, but now I keep devices as long as they function. The initial excitement fades after a month.
Regarding cars, I drove my Toyota Camry for 20 years, and I am selling it only because the wheels are literally falling off. My next car will be a hybrid for its reliability and lower emissions.
Today's environmental crises—like climate change, pollution, and resource depletion—demand swift action. By living more simply and mindfully, I have discovered that true happiness comes from life's small pleasures, nature, and meaningful giving—not materialism driven by marketing since childhood.
Going forward, I aim to continue setting my own path according to my values, not outside influences. As with finances, a self-development plan ensures making the most of our limited time on this planet we are very fortunate to inhabit.
Becoming More Environmentally Responsible
Making a change will start with introspection and mindfulness looking within and doing a self-audit. For example, are we taking a vacation at a faraway exotic place to really explore or simply for Instagram posts? Why are we driving a fancy car? Do we really enjoy it, or is it an expression of competence and success?
Climate change is indisputable, with ice core samples and atmospheric data as evidence. Denying it is akin to the folks playing violin during the sinking of the Titanic, ignoring the imminent collapse. Our children will suffer the consequences if we choose to ignore it the same way. If we are saying that this is part of Earth's natural cycles, that cannot be explained by the rapidity of change since industrial development and the carbon isotopic data isolated from the atmosphere that implicates global warming. If we are saying it is a global academic conspiracy (I heard that from a physician friend), then the oil companies are very well funded to dismiss that, and that has not happened yet
The planet's finite resources are primarily non-renewable, making recycling challenging. Most materials are never repurposed, as consumer data shows.
The hard truth is that current levels of consumption are utterly unsustainable. Vast marketing machines fuel overconsumption, convincing us to constantly buy beyond our needs. But our planet has finite resources, and it cannot sustain our unchecked appetites.
As sentient beings, true happiness and fulfillment arise from within, not from external consumption. By practicing mindfulness and introspection, we gain the wisdom to see through the hollow promises of materialism. With an awakened ecological consciousness, we realize the futility of excess.
As physicians who vow to do no harm to patients, we must apply this same oath to the planet and all its inhabitants. Knowing this, here are the changes I have made to my lifestyle.
Connecting to Nature
Making time to enjoy parks and natural areas has been deeply rewarding. I now take regular walks through my neighborhood, taking care to observe seasonal changes in the trees, birds, and plants. Simply being outdoors reduces stress and fosters gratitude for the environment sustaining us.
Simplicity at Home
Downsizing possessions and minimizing waste has created a calmer domestic life. Changes like composting, avoiding single-use plastics, and repairing/donating items have cut my footprint. I even use both sides of printer papers, and I only print when needed. Living more simply feels good. We live in a 3,000-square-foot home and feel our quality of interactions with the young kids is better sitting around the kitchen table than in an isolated room on another floor.
Health and Well-Being
Transitioning to a plant-based, active lifestyle has profoundly benefited my health beyond weight loss. I have more sustained energy, resilience to illness, and motivation for self-care through nutrition and exercise. Living consciously complements living sustainably.
Inspiring Positive Change
Leading by example and discussing choices with loved ones has encouraged some to also evaluate habits. Combined, our reductions in consumption could benefit communities. Individual acts compound into meaningful differences, so sharing knowledge pays forward.
Continued Learning
Studying environmental sciences and solutions keeps me engaged. I enjoy emerging innovations in renewables, building, chemistry, and more reported by leaders enacting positive change. Unless we reduce resource consumption, these alone will not work well. Knowledge inspires further care for our fragile planet.
Spaces for Reflection
Spending dedicated time in nature reserves restores perspective. Sitting among trees and enjoying the outdoors (or biking on the bayous around Houston) brings profound gratitude, connection, and wonder. It's rekindled my care for landscapes and scenes sustaining all life. Nature heals and teaches.
Here, however, are some challenges I faced in my lifestyle transition:
- Habit formation: It can be difficult to break ingrained habits and form new sustainable routines, like remembering reusable bags or bringing travel mugs. Sticking with changes took perseverance and time.
- Social pressures: Friends and family didn't always understand lifestyle choices, like a plant-based diet. Some social situations require extra planning.
- Limited options: Especially earlier on, finding vegan/low-waste options when eating out or traveling could be frustrating. The movement has grown, though.
- Expense: Transitioning purchases like appliances, vehicles, and home goods to more sustainable options required higher upfront costs in some cases—like a hybrid in my case. Toyotas were in short supply, and I had to pay a premium for the hybrid.
- Information overload: With so much information available, it was tough to discern high-quality sources from greenwashing or misinformation spread by certain industries.
- Self-doubt: It was easy to question decisions or doubt your impact, like whether personal efforts truly mattered next to global challenges. Ongoing learning helped address this.
- Time constraints: Balancing work, family, and other priorities with lifestyle changes like gardening, cooking from scratch, and volunteering took diligent scheduling.
- Isolation: Some friends felt lifestyle differences diminished rapport, or they saw changes as overly preachy.
- Policy shortcomings: Despite individual efforts, the lack of systemic action on the biggest issues—like climate—was disheartening at times.
Sharing challenges honestly could help others pursuing similar journeys feel less alone in their struggles. Perseverance was needed to overcome obstacles.
More information here:
The Happiness Index: Mine Required My Own Version of Retirement
Methods to Reduce Overconsumption Include
- Brewing one's own coffee using fewer plastic pods.
- Eating out less and using reusable lunch containers.
- Becoming vegetarian to minimize animal cruelty. (Climate-friendly beef is not really climate-friendly, as it's based more on an honor system and fees paid toward certification rather than meeting stringent goals. Regular beef and climate-friendly beef have the same methane emissions and water use. Greenwashing is a problem in the organics industry.)
- Avoiding boat ownership, due to environmental impact and maintenance burdens (opting for a kayak instead).
Issues I Am Working On
Certain areas present challenges in striking a balance, and feelings of guilt may arise. For instance, an annual trip to India contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, but alternatives are scarce. It is crucial not to become overly consumed with guilt or self-doubt. Such endeavors should be entirely voluntary to avoid internal conflict. Pursuing these actions willingly without sacrificing pleasure necessitates wisdom and time.
The advantages of this transition include: the savings become automatic, resulting in a positive feedback loop. As I spend less, I have more time, and money accumulates automatically. I do not feel deprived. Yet the money compounds, and I have more to contribute to society rather than depleting finite resources. However, we face challenges such as self-doubt and guilt, which I strive to address.
More information here:
Your Secret Weapon Is Spending Less
Issues I Am Unable to Change Currently
There are issues like packaged foods that may persist unless policy changes occur. For example, milk for my children comes in a plastic bottle. Though it's discarded in the recycling bin, it is not always completely recycled. It is difficult to get from local dairies in an urban environment. Additionally, challenges arise with family and children. For instance, my children use disposable plastic highlighters and stationery from school that are discarded annually. Ideally, reusable alternatives would exist. However, the school is very specific about what it would like, and I don't have much say in refillable and non-drying highlighters, etc.
Moreover, the annual family trip to Disneyland appears wasteful due to excessive marketing and toy consumption. Although I would prefer to reduce these aspects, doing so might deprive my children of their enjoyment.
We also took a cruise recently, but I felt it was necessary for maintaining relationships and family. While some may find joy in traveling, it should not incite discord. True enjoyment comes from within, minus marketing influences. If someone enjoys going to Vienna, they should go for it. But if it's for an Instagram post, then that person must decide who is going to look at it and what they truly value
The Vedic philosophy of Brahmana teaches that we are all interconnected in nature. By improving ourselves, we uplift our shared world. Gaining wealth comes with a moral responsibility to society and nature.
The path I’ve taken (and the path other physicians could be taking) requires patience, insight, and relinquishing attachment. But being a force for good brings meaning. As stewards of immense resources, we must lead by example—for our patients, families, communities, and the planet we call home.
[FOUNDER'S NOTE BY DR. JIM DAHLE: Dr. Bhatt first approached me about this article months ago, and my first thought was, “Well this should make for an interesting comments section!” Long-term readers probably won't be surprised given my outdoor interests (it's not unusual for me to spend two months or more a year sleeping outdoors) that I have great sympathies with the environmental movement. I also find it interesting to see so much overlap between the financial independence movement and the environmental movement. The less you consume, the more you help the planet AND your pocketbook. In fact, our planet would be completely destroyed if everybody on it consumed in a manner that I, and most WCIers, can afford to do. Frugality IS environmentalism. Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
However, I think the first response most people will have to a piece like this is to feel personally attacked and maybe even feel a need to attack back. “How dare you lecture me about my diesel-guzzling F-250 and seven boats when you go on cruises, give your kids milk, and fly to India every year!” Another common response is to consider the hypocrisy present in many parts of the environmental movement. “How interesting that you drove over here in your gas vehicle to protest this oil pipeline,” or, “You think whaling is evil but Chick-fil-A is fine?”
Sometimes we go fully philosophical: “Well, in 5 billion years, the sun will go out and the planet will be ruined anyway.” Or we resort to humor. I mean, who doesn't call their 8-year-old a dolphin killer every time she drinks bottled water or point out that if God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat?
I'm no fan of ESG investing (I think you and your favorite causes are better off just buying index funds and donating to the causes directly), but I am a big fan of this planet, and I think it is worthwhile to consider ways in which our choices can both improve the environment and our finances at the same time. Now if I could just convince myself that it is just as fun to eat vegetables and watch YouTube videos about other continents instead of going there myself I could preach the environmental word too without feeling so hypocritical.]
Do you feel like we need to reduce, reuse, and recycle? What steps have you taken to do that? What else can be done to prolong the life of our planet?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Rajat Bhatt is an experienced, board-certified Rheumatologist in a private practice located in Houston. This article was submitted and approved according to our Guest Post Policy. We have no financial relationship.]
Thank you Drs Bhatt and Dahle. The article is thought provoking and has made me consider what further (and healthier for my person and my finances) changes I can make in my life, as well as challenging my notion that I am too far from normal to be a beneficial example to others. I may start being a more active gadfly to my nearest and dearest, and maybe even advocate for local change (HOA and community issues with non lawn landscaping and food gardening).
You also captured and address the “what difference does one person make, why bother?” ennui encouraged by the societal forces resisting any changes especially those which will alter their profit structure.
And Dr. Dahle’s companion essay with his influence and example to forum readers encourages us to reflect on rather than dismiss the concerns discussed.
Well done both of you.
The hypocrisy in this post is funny. He uses refillable pens but won’t give up flying to India and going on cruises and buying milk by the gallons…. I enjoy being outside and with my kids in Boy Scouts I end up spending many nights outside so I am all for doing your best to be thrifty, leave no trace, and be resourceful. But the climate data is not set in stone and the goal posts are constantly moving. Why would I stop cruising and heli-skiing but Senator John Kerry and Taylor Swift are allowed to fly private jets everywhere?
Yeah kinda lost me when he mentioned he took a cruise anyway to maintain family ties. It just reinforces the whole idea that environmentalism is great until something else takes priority over it, which I think almost anyone could use to justify what they do in life.
Still, a different article. I’m sure it will reach some people.
I don’t find the author to be hypocritical. Rather, he’s making a very realistic point that we’re all well aware of – it’s unrealistic to exist in modern society and expect to create ZERO waste, so we have to do the best we can. As the phrase goes, the perfect is the enemy of the good. Should we throw up our hands and be as wasteful as possible just because we buy plastic milk bottles or went on one cruise? Of course not. One cruise is worse than 0 cruises, but it’s certainly better than going on a cruise every year. The “it has to be perfect or it’s not worth it” mindset makes no sense to me. This is clearly black-and-white thinking that is used to justify a position of ignorance rather than the more difficult task of introspection.
The incremental improvements and contributions we can make, especially when combined with those made by other people, add up. Physicians are certainly intelligent enough to realize that perfection is unrealistic and that striving for improvement is a much more appropriate goal, both in environmentalism and in other aspects of life. Arguments otherwise seem to be defense mechanisms protecting the individuals from taking a hard look at what they can do better. And don’t get me started on the Taylor Swift argument. As I mentioned below, is this what we are teaching our children – if they see someone doing something bad, they should do it too, rather than striving to be better? Why live life stooping to reach the low level of others surrounding you rather than making efforts to rise above?
I strongly disagree with you. If someone is going to lecture then they should probably remain above reproach. But he summed up the political side of climate change very simply, it’s okay to keep doing things as long as you feel guilty and attempt to make up for it. It’s called virtue signaling. I’m glad he posted this article. It points out the absurdity of the climate change political agenda. Write an article about pollution and corporate regulations and being thrifty and I’ll be happy to support but don’t lecture from your junior suite on Icon of the Seas or the business class seat as you fly to India.
Btw do you remember the wavelength of IR radiation that CO2 absorbs? It’s not even the wavelength that would cause a greenhouse effect. Being a doctor does not make one a good scientist.
This is a great and different article from the norm. I don’t think the author is being hypocritical at all but is rather saying let’s all be intentional about where we use resources. There’s no need to be wasteful in every single category of our lives especially if it doesn’t bring joy or value.
I believe most WCI readers already do this, just with a monetary/financial focus. The author seems to have expanded this intention to all areas of his life. Thank you to the author for showing us that though he’s trying, he isn’t perfect.
I really appreciate that Dr. Dahle tries to bring in different viewpoints to interesting topics. We don’t always have to agree with the author, but at least let’s see if it brings a new perspective to our lives. That’s the beauty of free thought, we can disagree without being obnoxious.
It’s amazing to me how harsh some comments can be. What value does that bring to you to be so mean?
Rajat awesome article man and I do agree with you and Jim that being less consumptive on this planet actually is aligned with the financial principles of frugality and being happy with spending less. I think Vicki Robbins mentions planet sustainability in “Your Money or Your Life” and mentions in podcasts that this was the main tenet of the book along with financial independence. Unfortunately as you mention in your article, sometimes the goal of being environmentally friendly is not aligned with your other values, such as taking that family cruise. Do you find that you find less enjoyment doing things that you value that violate being environmentally friendly? or are you ok with it given that the only time you violate your enviormental values is something that you value more, like family?
also on another note, why a hybrid and not a fully EV car? are hybrids actually more enviormentally friendly despite still need to run on fossil fuel?
We have a hybrid plug in not electric only because the occasional trips we take out of town, or if in town we have more than one errand to run, there isn’t the grid yet to charge en route. Also, rarely in town needing over the 40 miles of a full charge, we haven’t gotten the quick charge plug/ cord but are happy plugging in overnight most of the month. Still can’t tell if we’re saving money on gas vs cost of electricity. Too tough separating all the power used in the home. Someday we’ll turn off everything, plug in the car, and calculate from increase in miles supposedly generated and the difference in the meter readings and the going charge/ kW and premium gas plus supposed gas mileage whether we’re saving any money. Certainly electricity generated isn’t fully green either. If we commuted daily to a job we might put in a 220 plug, maybe a big solar battery, etc.
EV is the way to go in the future. Currently, the technologies for producing lithium are not very clean and have an adverse environmental impact. In the future with more laws and controls EVs will be preferable
I give credit to environmentalist that truly live out there ideals like Gary Bussey, the actor. Unfortunately, most of the “environmentalist” that I know have a bigger carbon footprint than I do. A relative of mine who is on a major conservation board drives a gas guzzler, and thinks nothing of taking a flight to Hawaii for a four-day weekend, burning more fuel than I will consume in a year in my vehicle. Of course, his footprint is minuscule compared to Al Gore and DeCaprio flying around in private jets. It seems that if all these folks truly believed in their cause as this physician does they would all live like Gary Bussey.
Too political. Here’s what I heard: you should stop doing all these things, but if you can’t stop, just feel guilty about it. That’s good enough.
Fantastic post. Kudos to Dr. Bhatt for writing and Dr. Dahle for publishing. The fact that some in the comments take pro-environmental sentiments as “too political” is a sad statement about our society. Also disappointed to read the “Taylor Swift has a private jet so I can be wasteful too” sentiments. Where is the sense of personal responsibility, the concept of striving to be better than what we’re surrounded with rather than stooping to the level of others? Is this what you’re teaching your children – “Billy at school did [xyz bad thing] so you can too!”
Not being perfect is better than doing nothing. Flying to India and eating meat produces more CO2 than flying to India and not eating meat.
Carbon offsets while imperfect could potentially help with the impact of travel.
It’s much easier to attack the hypocrisy of various climate activists like Al Gore than to attack the truth of what they’re saying.
I love this article! It is thought provoking. I too do what I can, where I can. I am not perfect, but am evolving. That is what I hope for everyone. If we each are open to learning and making small changes where we can, it leads to big changes overall. The more you see and understand what is happening to our environment, the harder it is to unsee. Let’s all do our part where we can!
Good post. Thanks for sharing. I agree with being mindful and not wasteful whenever possible.
As a side note, the concept of a “carbon footprint” was greatly pushed by BP starting in 2005. It served the purpose to push the perceived responsibility of man-made climate change from society to the individual. Based on some of the comments it seems for BP (and not humanity) this was money well spent. Clearly individuals have need to fly, drive cars, etc. However, as it is impossible for individuals to institute standards reducing waste such as fuel efficiency for planes (which the technology existed for decades) to implement, this is not the individual’s fault. Due to flawed policies, often we are left with bad versus less bad as the only options.
No mention of the number one thing we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint: don’t have kids. Or if you really want kids, have just one.
That one decision, in the long term, far outweighs all the other stuff combined.
While we’re talking about extreme solutions, suicide certainly reduces your carbon footprint. This is all starting to sound like a Jonathan Swift piece though:
https://www.readwritethink.org/sites/default/files/resources/30827_modestproposal.pdf
I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be
liable to the least objection.
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London,
that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and
wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it
will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust
Consciously not having a large family is NOT equal to advocating for suicide.
The world is likely already overpopulated per many experts. Stating that does not mean advocating for killing people or killing one’s self.
Swift’s article and my related suggestion are considered a form of satire.
I suppose your readership will be left guessing if you think having a small family is “extreme” or not.
Dr Bahtt, very thought provoking piece. There is almost never a perfect solution to a very complex problem. As a starting point though, your article challenges us all to be thrifty and good stewards of limited resources, including the environment. Also your article has stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest in the comments section. If that isn’t a back-handed marker of a thought provoking article, I don’t know what is.
The Titanic violin comment kills me. I don’t think he understands why they kept playing. I doubt they kept on playing because they didn’t believe the ship was sinking. Maybe they thought it would provide some comfort to frightened people?
Other than that I am not convinced of the “science”. They if you look back on predictions based off climate change the world should have ended about 10 times by now. They keep pushing the date back when it doesn’t happen. Also Time Magazine in the 50’s was predicting the end via another ice age.
That being said I agree with reduce, reuse, recycle. I believe Mother Earth is sturdy, but let’s not test more than we have to. I squirm at being wasteful! I can’t bring myself to buy a new blower for my yard because the old one still works(although very weak and not as good as the newer ones). I believe in beautifying this world where we can and keeping it nice. That being said I think the two legs are one of the main reasons that this world is a nice place to be. I certainly appreciate the ones in my life.
Grains of truth sprinkled into a salad of hot garbage still looks like hot garbage. There is nothing wrong with being environmentally conscious; it is the activities that we think fit into that idea that become a problem because many of them are flat out wrong. Some of the answers of today will be proven to be the wrong solutions that one day our children and their children will look back and think “How could they have been so stupid to think that would work?” I.e. EVs and plant based diets just like DDT bring sprayed in the streets in the 60s or giving cigarettes in K-rations during WWII.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is a good strategy for everyday living. Limiting our waste and being frugal are both financially and environmentally rewarding. I take issue with his belief that plant based diets are more environmentally and physically healthier. That’s not true at all. The documentary Food, Inc. is a very specifically made documentary to push a specific agenda. If you want to eat plant based for your own reasons (albeit fallible) then that’s fine. But, know that by limiting meat you aren’t helping the planet and you also aren’t helping your overall health. If Carbon Offsets are a worthwhile idea, do you know what one of the best ways to sequester carbon into the environment is? Regeneratively raised animal agriculture (it’s also definitely not Impossible Burger’s factory). If you want more information please look at White Oak Pastures where they have the microbial, soil, and water testing to prove what they preach (and not some new branded meat from Tyson…)
I think I disagree with that argument. I don’t find it surprising at all to learn that eating plants is cheaper, healthier, and better for the environment than eating meat.
Cheaper: pretty clear when you go to the supermarket. Good luck arguing against that.
Healthier: More room to argue here, but there’s pretty good data that vegetarians weigh less, have less heart disease, and have less cancer than meat eaters.
Environment: It takes about 6 lbs of corn to create 1 lb of beef. Beef is 1000 calories per lb and corn is 600 calories per lb. So I think it’s pretty clear that eating meat uses a lot more resources than vegetables.
Now I’m definitely a meat eater but I don’t think it’s something I can justify for financial, health, or environmental reasons. It just tastes good to me.
Ooooo I love a cordial debate!
Cheaper: Processed foods are cheaper too, but no one is arguing cheaper=healthier. And, “cheaper” only applies to the immediate cash output. It doesn’t factor in the added cost of “down stream consequences” like poor health, poor fitness, etc. If you eat cheap garbage and then have to buy a Red bull every day, is it really cheaper? There are 3 big factors in a person’s health: environment, genetics, and food. You can kind of control environment, stuck with your genetics, but have full control of your food input. That to me sounds like the perfect thing to “self insure” by spending more for quality foods.
Healthier: Our current understanding of what foods are healthy I think are highly flawed based of poorly controlled epidemiological studies that require subjects to self-report. They also don’t do well at removing confounding variables. Actual interventional studies have failed to support the argument that meat is bad for health. That’s not to say that plant diets are harmful per se, only that meat focused diets aren’t unhealthy.
Environment: this one gets tossed around a lot in the media, but it suffers from the human condition of failing to acknowledge 2 or more things can be true at once and often the simplest answer is not the best. You can make a case that conventionally raised meat is not great environmentally. Conventionally raised plants are not that much better environmentally either. Using biodiversity as a proxy indicator for environmental health then even organically raised plant monocultures (think a field of broccoli) is not environmentally great. This admittedly starts splitting hairs in the way agriculture is conducted that is very confusing to those not familiar with it. To someone living in NYC a farm is a farm is a farm is a farm. (Yes, I meant that 4 times). But there are huge differences in farming practices that impact their environmental “scorecard” .
Overall, I think that each of your categories could be supported or refuted depending on what metrics we feel are most valid. I do absolutely think though that we can, and should, justify being meat eaters for financial, health, AND environmental reason.
You didn’t convince me that any of my points are wrong.
Finance: Good (define good however you like) meat vs good veggies. Which one costs more? The meat.
Health: So you have no evidence what so ever that eating a lot of meat is better for you than not eating a lot of meat? Not very convincing. Just saying “All those studies have problems” isn’t much of an argument.
Environment: Conventionally raised meat has issues. Wild meat has issues too. Not that many salmon coming up streams in Alaska any more. If we quit eating them, there would be a lot more. And bears to eat them. Just because you can find an issue with plants (monocultures!) doesn’t invalidate the general idea that it saves a lot of resources to eat plants instead of the animals that eat the plants. And this all assumes that you don’t have any ethical issues with killing and eating animals. I don’t, but lots of people do. See PETA for additional information. There is no PETA for plants as far as I know.
You are absolutely right that straight out of the grocery store there are cheaper options than meat. I don’t believe this cost analysis holds up when other factors are considered beyond the initial ding of the credit card. Meat is the most nutrient dense food that is found in nature. Other plant based foods are severely lacking in nutrient density and bioavailability. There are up to 13 nutrients required for human health that are only found in appreciable amounts in meat and animal products. You simply cannot get them (or enough of them) from plants. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-nutrients-you-cant-get-from-plants and https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/harvard-trained-expert-if-you-had-to-prioritize-one-food-in-your-diet-it-should-be-this-one.html). Therefore, I think the value of meat far outweighs the cost at the register.
Growing plants for consumption uses different resources than raising animals for consumption, but it doesn’t “save” resources. Now, you can argue about the societal value of those resources (land, water, feed, fertilizer, etc), but each require resources. Living things in any fashion require resources. Now, I’ve mentioned regenerative agriculture previously, so I will mention it again. We cannot feed 8 billion people using that mode of food production, at least not with our current technology. That’s an ethical debate of whether or not we should try to feed that many people. Similarly, if your objection to meat is ethical, I would suggest evaluation of those ethics to determine if you’re opposed to meat specifically or simply how you perceive a specific production method of meat.
Here are some sources and articles (PubMed IDs)PMID: 37993715, PMID: 20361352, PMID: 30566003, PMID: 26059489, PMID: 37447197
You’re really into this aren’t you? Do you work for the meat industry or something? What’s your angle that you care so much?
At any rate, there might be “13 nutrients best found in meat” but you don’t need a large quantity of those nutrients.
And I don’t understand your argument that “plants take tons of resource to produce.” You’ve got to produce the plants before you can feed them to the animals. So whether cheap or expensive, it certainly costs more to then turn them into meat.
Ha! I will take that as a compliment.
No, I have zero direct financial interest in meat. I do live in cattle country so by association I have interest in it but it doesn’t affect my bottom line at all. I care because to quote a proverb “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions” and I believe that while we all have good intentions when it comes to the health of our bodies and environment, we’re trying to place blame on something that doesn’t warrant it.
Thank you for writing and publishing this article! It is difficult to be perfect when it comes to our carbon footprint, but we can all be better and have to start somewhere. Healthcare alone has a tremendous carbon footprint. If healthcare was a country, it would be the fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet! The World Health Organization estimates that climate change will cause millions of additional deaths in the coming decades. Economically, the direct costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2-4 billion annually by 2030. What I am trying to say is that this post is very appropriate for a financial blogpost geared toward physicians and dentists. Don’t even get me started on nitrous oxide.
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Great post. I love seeing a post like this that points out things that we can do to help the environment, but also points out that none of us can be perfect in that regard. We all just need to do the best we can. I know you are not a fan of ESG (I also struggle with the idea), but would be interested to hear how Dr Bhatt does his finances and investing. Does he take the environment into account in any way in his investing plan? Does he do any ESG investing? What does he think about the smaller “banks”, companies and credit cards that are trying to enter the finance industry while refusing to invest in fossil fuel companies? Could maybe even be an interesting podcast to talk about all of this with Dr Bhatt or someone similar.
I strive to balance financial and environmental responsibilities by avoiding excessive spending on second houses and unnecessary real estate investments. I believe carbon offsets aren’t effective due to greenwashing and insufficient outcomes like reforestation. Instead, the key is to consume only what is necessary. We must understand what truly brings us happiness and adopt a mindset of leaving no trace, echoing the ethos of environmental stewardship.
Green Solutions: True Impact?
Several real-world instances can illustrate this concept. For instance, a timber company may harvest wood for furniture production and subsequently plant new trees. However, these trees do not constitute a native forest, as establishing the complex relationships within a forest ecosystem requires numerous years or even centuries.
Another example involves flights that offer passengers the option to purchase carbon offsets. These offsets are typically invested in eco-friendly technologies. Nevertheless, the precise impact of these investments remains uncertain, as even green technologies can produce greenhouse gas emissions. The lack of transparency surrounding this issue further complicates matters.
Consequently, I advocate for a reduction in consumerism and the adoption of a more mindful approach to consumption. Prioritizing only necessary items and focusing on personal happiness and introspection can help achieve the intended outcome.
I would like to thank Dr. Rajat Bhatt for his helpful article. I am particularly encouraged that he connects diet, personal health and the environment. Although I am not a health professional (I’m a financial planner), I stand with over 17,000 physicians who are members of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (pcrm.org) in supporting a plant-based diet. From my perspective and experience, too many health practitioners are not compelled to address the root cause of disease since they either do not believe their patients will be receptive or, in some cases, it’s in their financial best interest to treat rather than prevent. Too many financial professionals also find it in their best interest to discourage their clients from investing in relatively low cost indexes which address their clients environmental and social concerns thinking that it will be easier to treat the consequences of environmental damage rather than prevent more damage going forward (i.e., write the check later). Improving health and the environment both benefit when we take in more information, not less, in how systems (the body, capitalism) work.
I think a lot of people accuse docs of being “anti-prevention” for nefarious/financial reasons. In reality, prevention is incredibly hard to do. Tried getting someone to quit smoking, exercise, and lose weight? It’s harder than it looks. So they come back in 6 months still fat, lazy, and smelling like a chimney. What do you want me to do now about their diabetes and heart disease? I can tell them to quit smoking, exercise, and lose weight again sure. But I probably better start some Metformin and aspirin too no?
Couple comments:
1) glad the post is brought up. I think it is more important than any other discussion out there. As doctors climate change is also probably one of the most (if not the most) important public health discussion. (If I remember the stats correctly 100k deaths each year are directly related to effects of climate change and air pollution (closely related). The question of how to spend my excess is one I have been thinking of a lot
2) one point missed in the article (or I missed while skimming is the effect of having one more kid. I can drive an EV (in my area where an ice has to have 120mpg equivalent to produce less pollution b/c of our “green energy), go vegan, decrease the size of my house, recycle, etc and not even come close to fixing my “sin” of having 4 kids. (Ie chart on this link https://streets.mn/2017/08/03/chart-of-the-day-carbon-footprint-reduction-chart/ )
3) tragedy of the commons makes it hard to stay the course . Ie I try to fly less, even though the one cruise we have been on was my wife’s favorite vacation we realize the effect of doing more is terrible for the environment. Makes it hard to feel like missing out b/c we don’t do it and realize with billions more doing those things our efforts are not significant
4) realizing my own hypocrisy as we still live in a 3500 sq ft house when sustainable is probably 1k or less.
5) still again I come back as it is the most important thing to address. Thanks for writing. Honest question I was going to ask on bogleheads so glad addressed here- for those that have more than enough and major environmental concerns. How do you balance your spending and environmental concerns/impact. Thanks for addressing