Of course there are many complex human problems that urgently need attention. However, becoming vegetarian does not prevent us from addressing them. On the contrary, because vegetarian food is cheaper than meat, it leaves people with more money to spend on other important human needs.
The original answer also argues that eating vegetarian food directly helps reduce world hunger. Only a fraction of the food an animal eats is converted into meat for people. If land used to grow food for farmed animals were instead used to grow grain for people to eat directly, much more food would be available to help eradicate global poverty.
There is also the question of money people spend on animals. I consider it appropriate to criticise how citizens of wealthy countries choose to spend their money. But criticising expenditure intended to relieve animal suffering should not be our first response.
People regularly spend money on things such as cars and expensive jewellery, even though they could instead donate it to organisations such as UNICEF. Rather than criticising spending on animals, we should focus our attention on global poverty when deciding whether to buy a new television or take an expensive holiday.
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