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Effect of Agriculture on the environment
How eating meat affects environment essay thesis
The consumption of meat effects on the planet
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The earth throughout many years has dramatically change in negative way when it comes to the planet’s environment. A simple choice of choosing vegetarian diet can have positive outcome to our wildfire, the atmosphere ,and even human health. From cutting down rainforests for cow pastures to adding methane to the atmosphere, a normal meat-based diet can majorly damage many parts of world. One of the biggest environmental impacts of a meat-eating diet is the depletion of natural resources, particularly the consumption of vast amounts of water for livestock production. Today, there are more than 17 billion livestock in the world; that’s about triple the number of people. Raising these animals requires huge amounts of water, most of it used to irrigate the grains and hay fed to the animals. According to the Water Education Foundation, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in California. This is the same amount of water you would use if you took a seven-minute shower every day for six entire months. In contrast, only 25 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat. Present human water consumption drains aquifers around the world. Water tables …show more content…
All of the livestock being raised throughout the world produce enormous amounts of manure and urine, which in turn pollute natural resources. Animal waste changes the pH of our water, contaminates our air; and the gases emitted are believed to be a major cause of global warming. To keep costs down, the modern animal farming practice is to raise livestock in feedlots and factory farms where thousands or tens of thousands of animals are crowded into small spaces. However, this makes the animal waste problem worse because of concentrated waste. Livestock in the U.S. produce 2.7 trillion pounds of manure each year. That’s about ten times more waste than was produced by all the American
Between watering the crops for farmed animals, providing drinking water for these animals, and cleaning away their waste that is found in factory farms, transportation trucks, and slaughterhouses, the farm-raised animal places an enormous strain on the water supply. Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for food (Meat Production). According to PETA, one would save more water by not eating a pound of meat than they would by not showering for six months. As seen Fig4. it takes many more thousands of gallons of water to produce meat, while growing the same amount of fruits and vegetables requires significantly less water. An article in the New York Times asserted that “by changing one’s diet to replace 50% of animal products with edible plants like legumes, nuts, and tubers results in a 30% reduction in an individual’s food-related water footprint. Going vegetarian reduces that water footprint by almost 60%” (McWilliams). Armed with this knowledge, one can clearly see that vegetarians save tremendous qu...
Is it possible to be an ethical meat-eater? Well, in my opinion, it is not ethical. There are many animals that suffer in the process of being slaughtered. Federal law requires mammals be stunned prior to slaughter. Typically, electric current is used to induce a heart attack or seizure. Then a captive bolt gun is used to deliver a blow to the skull or to shoot a rod into the animal’s brain. Eating meat is not ethical; animals suffer, they are tortured, because there are not enough Federal regulations protecting the animals, and there are environmental issues, as well as the health issues concerning the consumption of meat.
Meat has become a part of our culture in our country, where it is expected as part of each meal of the day. But the production of the meat raises questions on whether eating meat is ethical in people’s eyes. Studies in recent years have shown that the growing impact of our meat eating culture, has negatively affected different aspects around us. The problem is not about whether people should or should not eat meat, but that we should focus on how the production of meat can have negative affects and how we can limit those problems.
The meat industry consumes over half of all water used for all purposes in the United States. Most of this water is used to irrigate cattle feedlots. Water utilized to produce 1 pound of meat amounts to 2,500 gallons. In comparison, the water utilized to produce 1 pound of wheat amounts to 25 gallons. In Texas, a quarter of the groundwater has already been used to grow crops for the expanding cattle feedlots and wells are drying up across the northern part of the state. Also, cattle contribute to water pollution. Cows are routinely washed and the runoff containing manu...
According to “Meat the Truth”, a 2007 documentary directed by Karen Soeters, the film exposes the consequences of meat and dairy. It influences people about increasing the consumption of a plant-based diet and decreasing the intake of meat. Marianne Thieme, the narrator of the documentary and a Dutch politician who is a Member of the Party for the Animals in the Dutch Parliament, states, “Eating meat is the number one most environmentally destructive behavior, not cars, planes and power plants”. A consumer can make a great impact by changing their diet and restricting the consumption of meat. The transition to a plant-based diet is strongly informed by the film. Consumers have fallen into the advertising and marketing of meat to trigger minds the satisfaction of meat. Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization prove that from 1950 to 2000, the population of the world went from 2.6 to 6 billion and from this meat production increased five times as great. It is possible it can keep doubling this amount every fifty years if there isn’t a change that occurs. From the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, they state, “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that roughly 80 percent of ammonia emissions in the U.S. come from animal waste.” Raising animals to
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
If the grains used to feed meat animals were given to the starving people, it would make food available to about 800 million people (ProCon.org). Meat production uses a lot of water, up to 2,500 gallons is used to produce one pound of beef, so more people going vegetarian would help conserve the water we are in need of (ProCon.org). There are many different things that causes of environmental pollution, but meat production does play a decent sized role in pollution. All of the animals create a large amount of waste, which causes greenhouse gases. In fact one pound of hamburger meat equals to the same amount of greenhouse gas that driving one small car for nearly 20 miles produces, while a pound of potatoes only equals 0.34 miles (ProCon.org). Large portions of land is used for the production of beef, one hamburger destroys 55 square feet of rainforest (ProCon.org). The production of beef has taken away the environments of the native animals and the large use of land has caused 171 species to be put on the endangered species list (ProCon.org). Land animals aren’t the only ones who are
Human bodies are genetically created to consume animal-produced products and without it the body doesn’t get what it needs to function. Humans started as vegans until sin came into the world which is when a life had to die for another life to survive. The body of a human needs each nutrient to be able to operate the way it was constructed to. Without those nutrients the body will start to devour its self to try to provide what it requires to function, and when the stomach cannot make the nutrients it needs it will shut down. Veganism could be healthy for a while until the diet starts to have deficiency of nutrients. Not only would it start to be unhealthy for the body, but also would be unhealthy for the environment that humans live in. Many
The well-known philosopher, Albert Schweitzer once stated “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace”. Many people in this world think that respecting other humans is enough, but this quote demonstrates how animals should be respected also. Research has been conducted by many health physicians, concluding people who eat a vegetarian diet affect their lives in both positive and negative ways. Some believe that it has the possibility of leading to obesity from eating too much of one substance. Whereas, others believe that there is a benefit of weight loss, and it is healthier for the human body in multiple ways. Not only is there a physical difference between vegetarians and omnivores, but there is also an emotional difference.
...ming I will be willing to contribute in any way that I can, and becoming a vegetarian will help the environment a great deal. Becoming a vegetarian can also lead to becoming a healthier person and living a healthy lifestyle. And lastly, the way animals are killed and treated in factory farms are unethical and they should not be treated the way they are just to create a meal for the next person.Consider that the animal you are eating was a vegetarian and the meat contains all the minerals and vitamins of the plant foods it ate when you eat it. Along with fats yourbody needs in substantial amounts to stay healthy.....more on the fats later. Meat is as close to a complete meal as you can get because of this.
As the turn of the twentieth century approached, the livestock industry became increasingly more powerful than ever before, and meat became much more affordable for working class families (Best). That was, until Francis Moore Lappé’s book, Diet for a Small Planet was published in 1971, and exposed the grave danger that the meat industry set upon the environment and specifically the earth’s land (Best). With a population that grows as rapidly as the human civilization does, it is imperative that changes are made to ensure habitat conservation for years to come, and it seems that a vegetarian diet is the way to help. Livestock farms and land to grow feed for those animals has taken the space of some of earth’s most wonderful resources, using up recreational land, wildlife habitat, and wilderness. The average American diet consists of 270 pounds of meat each year, and that rounds up to approximately 20 acres of land (Vidal). Livestock is said to take up 30% of dry land on earth, and 80% of the agrarian land within the United States. Becoming a vege...
Every person has the ability to make their own choice of whether to eat meat or not. However, eating meat is directly tied to negative health effects, pollution leading to a depletion of ozone, and the depletion of hundreds of thousands of acres of land “wasted” on animal production when they could be used to solve the hunger crisis or lower emission levels. What humans eat is no longer a matter of choice; it has become a matter of life and death. Literally, the future of the whole planet rests on the decision of whether or not to eat meat. If humans chose to eat less meat the world that wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences (outlined above.) Vegetarianism is one possibility, as is Veganism; however the world would be
Vegetarians tend to be healthier than those who consume meat. This is due to the prevalent unnatural chemicals used in the processing of meats, and eating these are unsuitable for the body. Meats already contain harmful amounts of cholesterol, and over-consumption of red meat can lead to early heart disease. Animals that are raised on farms for their meat are not treated well, and this mistreatment can lead to harm in the meat they are producing. Although one life choice cannot change one’s environmental
Food, an extremely important factor in the health of all living organisms. It gives our bodies nutrients and energy which allow us to continue on the journey of life. However, with the increase in population more and more food is needed to feed the human race, or is it? The weekday vegetarian diet is a relatively new idea that would help reduce land and resources needed for agriculture, reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing the overall health of those participating. The research appears to be sound yet some are still skeptical with the idea. Throughout this reading, we’ll go through the environmental impacts, how to implement this practice, and the pros and cons.
A person that is vegetarian does not eat meat from any type of animal, and that includes seafood, but they can eat cheese, eggs and milk. “About 3% of U.S. adults are considered full-fledged vegetarians”.(Hellmich 4). When people think of vegetarians, they think about weak little hippie girls, and they 're all about world peace. Some things might be true, but the majority is so unbelievably untrue. When other people think about Vegetarians they mostly think of healthy people which is true. They respect the earth more than meat eaters. Also, vegetarian caring about the environment as well, which I 'm going to talk about later. Caring for the environment is an uncommon way of life which vegetarian lives by. Some reasons why vegetarians turn vegetarian is that they want to save animals. Other reason is that they want to save the environment because the majority doesn 't care for it. Vegetarianism is good for many reasons for; instance a person’s health, ethics, and religious beliefs