Defending Beef By Niman Summary

In this documentary, Kip Andersen ventures out to research the sustainability of a meat and dairy industry. As he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today, he also investigates why the world's leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. This documentary reveals the negative environmental impact large-scale factory farming has on our planet, and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population. While touching on pathos by discussing the treatment of animals, Andersen focuses on the logos aspect. By utilizing facts and statistics, all of which are backed by credible research, this leads viewers to not only question whether taste and convenience is worth the the mistreatment these animals

Major food corporations with the mantra of “feeding the world” have started a cycle of chemical abuse and sterilization of the earth. Frances Moore Lappé talks about this in his article, Diet Of The Small Planet, giving readers the harsh reality that our increasing meat centered diets are causing. The consumption of meat has been linked to the single-minded belief that beef/ham/chicken were the only source of “much needed protein.” According to the data that Lappé has gathered though, this “meat principle” could not be further from the truth. For instance, take the fact that a cow needs to ingest “21 pounds of [plant protein from grains] in order to produce 1 pound of protein for human consumption.” (Lappé) In fact, all the grains grown in the US that are supposedly suppose to “feed the world” at least “78%” (Lappé) is given to livestock as feed. This ridiculousness is further emphasized when Lappé mentions the stark contrast of livestock to the protein producing ability of plants per acre. The protein production of “cereals, legumes and leafy vegetables” easily produce up to “15 times more protein per acre” (Lappé) than the average piece of meat. The most startling example of the protein conversion inefficiency of meat through comes from the comparison to Spinach, which Lappé notes, is actually able to produces “26 times more protein per

Instead of dieting, people should look to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In an effort to do so, I have turned to a plant based diet. With new studies informing the public about the dangers of red meat as a carcinogen and its link to heart disease, I felt it was best to leave the burgers behind. While not wholly vegan, I no longer consume eggs, dairy, honey, and red meat and instead have replaced these animal products with leafy greens, fiber rich berries, and whole wheat pasta. This transition has not been solely about health, however, as, after taking an Environmental Science course, I learned about the damaging environmental impacts of the meat and dairy industries. In the United States, agriculture accounts for 80% of our water usage -- and bovine meat is the largest offender, using 48x more water than vegetables. Land usage for livestock is another massive problem and as the consumer demands for animal products increases, our available land is slowly eaten away at.

Climate change undoubtedly has a monumental effect on countries across the globe, It is becoming increasingly clear that it is the most important challenge facing international relations today. Agriculture and more specifically animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to human made climate change. This is important for international relations because animal agriculture effects trade, global food security and the global economy. With the population growing at a rapid pace the demand on animal agricuture is also rapidly increasing. This essay will discuss the consequences of the globes meat consumption and the challenge it poses to international relations. It will then go on to discuss the way the international community should address global food security while reducing the animal agriculture industries effect on the environment.

All across america, cows are confined to crowded, almost prison-like cells, with little to no regard to their health. They are forced to eat food that includes such ingredients like manure, cement, or even cow brains. This is one side of farming, but there is another. This farming has cows and other animals living how they would in nature, across rolling hills and bright green grasses. This is the essence of Local Sustainable farming. As defined in Michael Pollan’s award-winning commentary about the food we eat, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the Local Sustainable Food Chain, one of four possible food chains, is characterized by not using pesticides, treating animals humanely, and sustainably creating healthier organic food. Out of Michael Pollan’s food chains, the Local Sustainable Food Chain is the best for America as it is much less harmful to the environment and lets animals live in their natural states.

Brought up in the southern of China, I often heard about that people from there “eat anything with four limbs except tables, anything that flies except aero planes, and anything that swims except ships”. Nevertheless, I eat more fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains but less meat to make careful choices for environmental protection. Similarly, Kathy Freston argues that animal agriculture is one of the top contributors to global warming. In her Huffington Post selection “Vegetarian Is the New Prius,” Freston lists how many emissions of greenhouse gases people make when they eat meat and illustrates the consumption of tree in animal agriculture. She effectively convinces her audiences that the livestock results in the most serious environmental problems and encourages people to lead a greener diet to protect our environment. However, ardent craving, poor health, and perpetual hassle and cost prevent all Americans from being vegetarian.

In the article published on The New York Times, "The Myth of Sustainable Meat," by James E. McWilliams, a history professor who specializes in environmental history at Texas State University--San Marcos, tries to prove the alternatives to factory farms that practice natural ways of raising animals for food production isn’t such a satisfying alternative than what we perceive it to be (par. 2). McWilliams presents excellent examples and reasons to support his thesis. He appropriately used important societal issues in regards to animal production to broaden his audience and provide strong support towards his claim. Even though McWilliams provides strong reasons to establish his claim, the use of expert opinions and dishonest statistics and facts

For years vegetarian and vegan diets have been gaining popularity. This rise in popularity is due largely to the belief that a vegetarian diet has numerous health benefits and the animals being raised to be slaughtered are not being treated humanely. These are both good reasons for adopting a meat-free lifestyle, but there is an even more pressing reason. The current rate of meat consumptions, especially in developed nations, is consuming natural resources at a rate that is not sustainable. The amount of resources such as land, water, and crops consumed to support meat production is staggering. In addition to the resource consumption, meat production is also contributing to critical global environmental issues such as deforestation and ozone depletion.

The current American system of grain-fed cattle consumes a disproportionately large amount of resources per yield. One has to be keen in distinguishing “grain-fed cattle” from “pasture-fed cattle” also known as “cattle-razing” which many experts have surmised is a more efficient use of marginal land. Research conducted by Cornell University’s David Pimentel revealed that animal protein production requires more than eight times as much fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein while yielding animal protein that is only 1.4 times more nutritious for humans than the comparable amount of plant protein (Pimentel, 1997). Pimentel’s analysis also showed that grain-fed beef production necessitates 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food. Raising broiler chickens consumes about 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for kilogram of food produced; wheat, 900; rice, 1,912; and potatoes, 500 liters. Effectively, grain-fed livestock is a largely ineffective, costly, and a non-sustainable means of producing animal

Raising and consuming livestock is destroying our planet with animal agriculture accounting for over 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide generated from the production of meat is the biggest contributor, generating 30 kilograms of carbon dioxide for one kilogram of beef made.

At the same time, the notion that an ideal form of food production operating with a minimal environmental impact should exclude meat – nothing less than enacting “vegetarian imperative” (Saxena 2011) on a global scale – does not make

More land is being used to create farmlands instead of simply reusing older land. 26% of the land is used for livestock and 33% is used for growing the food needed for livestock ("10 Scary Facts About Meat and the Environment." Para 5). The land that is left unused is reducing at a rapid rate due to the expansion of agricultural land and with that, more of Earth’s forests are being cut down. Additionally, it takes more than nine time the fossil fuel to produce one calorie of meat than it does for one calorie of plant protein and 51% of global greenhouses gases are attributed to livestock ("10 Scary Facts About Meat and the Environment." Para 4). Even to produce meat, an immense number of crops are used. It takes almost 5 pounds of feed to produce just one pound of chicken. With the rate of depletion of land, crops, and environmental quality, there needs to be a change in the agricultural

Global meat production rose to a new peak of 308.5 million tons in 2013, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a more than fourfold increase over the last five decades. Even more startlingly, meat production has grown 25-fold since 1800 (Horrigan, Lawerence &Walker, 2002). Globally, agriculture utilizes nearly 70 per cent of the world 's available freshwater. One-third of that percentage is used to grow grains to feed to livestock (ECOS, 2014). While the global meat industry provides food and a livelihood for billions of people, it also has significant environmental and health consequences for the planet. Over half of the water used in meat production

There is no other human activity that impacts our planet more than that of raising livestock. The global meat industry provides food and livelihood for billions of people; however the meat industry has significant environmental and health consequences for the planet. It’s predicted that the worldwide consumption of meat will double by 2020 and this will have a huge impact on the environment. Roughly 40% of the world’s land surface is

One of the main issues of animal agriculture and production is its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Animal agriculture is responsible for a large percent of greenhouse gas emissions that total more emissions than the entire transportation sector. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), animal agriculture contributes to 14% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 13% produced by the entire transportation sector (Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data). However, it should also be noted that forestry is responsible for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which includes emissions from land clearing for agriculture deforestation (Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data). Another consideration to take into account is the various types of gases emitted. Beyond the commonly known carbon dioxide emissions, other gases produced by