Meat Production And Environmental Health

Anna Lappé’s book, Diet for a Hot Planet, discusses the impact that meat consumption has on the planet and our environment. It discusses how the global food system is a major contributor to climate change, producing as much as one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. She writes about how the way we farm, what we eat, and how our food gets to our tables all

Chicken, lamb, turkey, milk, pork, eggs, fish, etc., all contribute to the environmental problems facing the planet. The fossil-fuel energy consumption to protein output for these livestock are as follows: chicken has a 4:1 ration, lamb 50:1, turkey 13:1, milk protein 14:1, pork 17:1, and eggs at a 26:1 ratio. This averages out to almost eight-times more “fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein” (Pimentel). In addition, each animal has its own benefits and downfalls. Pigs propose a lower carbon footprint but if raised in ideal free-range environments they can pollute the soil with nitrogen (Goffman 5). Chickens pose the threat of spreading bacteria through rivers and streams and spurring algal growth which create “dead zones”,

Western diet and culture are responsible for the increase of global meat consumption, over the last few decades. This is why the global trend of moving “towards concentrated animal feeding operations is expected

Every year, an average American will consume approximately one hundred-twenty six pounds of meat. This meat can be traced back to factory farms where the animals are kept to be tortured to turn into a product for the appetite of humans. The terrible treatment these animals are forced to endure is the outcome of the greed and want for a faster production of their product. The industry of factory farming works to maximize the output of the meat while maintaining low costs,but will sadly always comes at the animals’ expense.

This article discusses how the consumption and production of meat and dairy is one of leading causes of habitat destruction and quick action needs to be taken to preserve biodiversity. The article analyzes the meat-eating trends in tropical regions of America, Asia, and Africa. It concludes that meat production rates are rapidly increasing, underlying that a 30-50% increase in the land will be needed by 2050 if these patterns continue. Bushmeat consumption in Africa and livestock consumption in China are outlined as special concerns. The main solution proposed is reforming the livestock industry by reducing demand and waste, replacing ecologically inefficient protein sources with better alternatives such as plants or fish, and reintegrate modern livestock production

While all of us relatively understand how driving cars, leaving the lights on, or using too much water can affect the environment, there is one massive human activity that is frequently overlooked—eating. From growing, to processing, to distributing, and finally consuming, our agricultural system uses an immense portion of our planet’s limited resources and emits large amounts of greenhouse gases that have drastic effects on the environment. Because of this, it is imperative to understand the environmental impacts of the type of foods that we choose to include in our diets. While much of today’s population is heavily reliant on animal products, it is evident that a meat-based diet is not environmentally sustainable; on the other hand, a plant-based diet is much more environmentally friendly in terms of the amount of grain, water, and

As the population grows, the demand for meat does too and therefore an increase in animal waste will also rise the United States Government cannot continue to fund the water treatment programs that are currently in place. (Nrdc.org, 2014)

This documentary explains the many harsh realities of animal agriculture’s effects. Animal agriculture uses an immense amount of water in their productions. To produce 1 gallon of milk, one thousand gallons of water are used. Over two thousand gallons

The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.

     It also needs to be pointed out that meat production industry is highly unfriendly to the environment. It has been proved that the results of this mindless actions are extremely harmful to the whole planet: trees are lost in creating farms for animal food, land is taken away from wildlife, additional erosion is caused, topsoil is lost, groundwater is wasted, and pesticide is excessively used. In fact, one chicken farm uses as much water as a little city. Few may know that this industry, compared to others, causes the biggest pollution at all.

In most third world countries meat is usually scarced. Even if there is meat available, it is extremely expensive and is eaten on special occasions. Here in the states and most first world countries, meat is found in abundance and can be cheaper than plant produce. The large production in the meat industry made meat cheaper. A surprising fact that “70 percent of grain produced is fed to animals” (Motavalli). The amount of grain put into an animal and the amount of meat that is produced is less than the grains. The same applies for fresh water. Hypothetically, the grain could be able to feed starving communities in third

The environmental impact of meat production varies because of the wide-ranging assortment of agricultural practices used around the world. It’s easy to see the negative effects on the environment and why it’s ethically wrong in that sense. However, let’s look at the pros and cons of all the different ways beef production affects the environment.

“Right now, the use of animals as a food production technology occupies about half of every square inch of land on earth,” said Chef Brown in his company’s test kitchen. “It uses and pollutes more water than any other industry.”

Consumption of meat by humans creates several problems. First and foremost, raising animals for food compromises the environment. For example, it takes a large amount of natural resources to sustain the meat industry. The use of water, land, and food to raise animals for human consumption is not an efficient use of our limited resources. In contrast, it is more efficient to feed humans directly than to use land, food, and water to feed animals to be used as food. There are shortages of fertile land, clean water, and food in several third world countries. Many of these countries’ resources are allocated to produce feed for animals in developed countries around the world. As a result, the citizens of these countries are stricken with water and food shortages, while their crops are feeding cattle from across the globe. However, this problem can be solved by adopting a vegan diet. The vegan diet will allow a more efficient use of resources that in turn can be used to feed starving men, women, and children throughout the world. Consequently, more people in the world could be fed if the land used to grow feed for animals was used to grow food for humans.

Factory farming is a relatively recent agricultural practice that began around the 1950’s (Factory Farming). Factory Farming is a basic term that refers to an industrial animal production facility. There are two classifications for factory farms; “concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO),” and “animal feeding operation (AFO) (Factory Farming).” When a factory farm is created it is originally classified as an AFO but once it meets a certain size or it is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a “significant contributor of pollutants to waters of the United States” it upgraded to a CAFO (Factory Farming). In this essay I argue that the practice of factory farming should be prohibited because of the inhumane treatment of animals as well as the negative effects on humans and the environment.