consciouseating
…livestock is a “major
The Meat of
player” in climate
change, accounting
the Matter
for 18 percent of
all greenhouse gas
emissions. That’s more
than the worldwide
transportation system.
of land erosion and sediment; uses 37
percent of all pesticides; directly or
indirectly results in 50 percent of all
antibiotic use; and dumps a third of all
Eating Livestock Carries
nitrogen and phosphorous into global
freshwater supplies.
Environmental Consequences
Raising livestock is the single larg-
est human-related use of land. Grazing
by Jim Motavalli
occupies 26 percent of the ice-free and
water-free surface of our planet, and
cropland to feed those animals devours
A
sk most Americans what causes (USDA) reports that the American meat 33 percent of Earth’s arable land. All
global warming, and they’ll point industry produced more than 1.4 billion that grazing leaves an impact.
to a coal plant’s smokestack or a car’s tons of combined wastes in 1997—five The UN reports that 20 percent
tailpipe. But two other images should tons for every citizen and 130 times of the world’s pastures and rangelands
be granted similar iconic status: the the volume of human waste. Methane, have been degraded through overgraz-
front and rear ends of a cow. a global warming gas 23 times more ing, soil compaction and erosion. Meat
According to a little-known 2006 potent than CO2, comes from many production leads to deforestation, too—
United Nations (UN) report, “Live- human sources, but livestock account grazing now occupies 70 percent of
stock’s Long Shadow,” livestock is a for 37 percent of its total. And waste is previously forested land in the Amazon
“major player” in climate change, just one of meat’s many harmful and region.
accounting for 18 percent of all green- far-reaching environmental side effects. Worse, the food grown to feed ani-
house gas emissions. That’s more than Livestock production consumes 8 mals could be feeding more people. For
the worldwide transportation system. percent of the world’s water, mainly to example, livestock eat 90 percent of the
The U.S. Department of Agriculture irrigate animal feed; causes 55 percent U.S. soy crop, 80 percent of our corn
46 Broward County
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72