How much meat do you eat? Do you eat it everyday? Maybe once per week? Or are you a vegetarian? Have you ever considered how your diet might affect the planet? Agriculture and food production is often overlooked as a source of environmental concern. Shockingly, it’s responsible for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses half of Earth’s habitable surfaces (Dunne). Studies have shown that the meat industry has a significant impact on climate change, rainforest destruction, and guzzles resources. It is crucial that we raise awareness for the impact farm animals have on the environment.
Compared to plant-based foods, meat puts out an outrageous amount of carbon dioxide. To produce 1 kg (2.2 lb) of beef, nearly 60 kg (132 lb) of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. When compared to the impact of 1 kg of apples (0.3 kg (0.66 lb) of carbon dioxide), it is clear that eating beef is not the most sustainable food choice (Dunne). As of 2018, the average American eats 24.8 kg (54.6 lb) of beef per year (U.S. Department of Agriculture). So, just by eating beef, the average American emits 1,488 kg (3,273 lb) of carbon dioxide every year. That is the carbon equivalent of driving a car 3,720 miles, the distance between Seattle and Panama (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Remember, that is solely from beef. Even more carbon is emitted when we add chicken, pork, etcetera. Although beef emits the most greenhouse gases out of any other meat, the others aren’t good either. Per kilogram of meat, lamb emits 24.5 kg (53.9 lb) of carbon dioxide and farmed shrimp emits 11.8 kg (25.96 lb). That is still outrageous compared to 0.3 kg (0.66 lb) and 0.8 kg (1.76 lb) of carbon for a kilogram of apples and bananas, respectively (Dunne).
Since meat is so detrimental to greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that we at least cut back on our intake, if not cut it out altogether. If we want to cut our carbon emissions, one of the best ways to do that is to go vegetarian. It is popular for people to ride their bikes to work instead of driving to decrease their carbon footprint, but they’re still eating meat. If they were to drive to work and skip the burger, in terms of carbon emissions, they’d have a much bigger impact.
The leading cause of Amazon Rainforest deforestation is cattle ranching. If Brazilian farmers want to raise cattle, they’re forced to cut down the rainforest to make room for pastures. This practice accounts for 80% of Amazon deforestation (World Wide Fund for Nature). Deforestation is an issue because it rids animals of their habitat and contributes to climate change. If we refuse animals their right to a place to live, they’ll go extinct in the wild. An example of a species going extinct from deforestation is the Javan Rhinoceros. There are only 60 of these animals left, and they can only be found in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia (World Animal Foundation). We’re already seeing extinction and dwindling numbers occurring with the Javan Rhinoceros and other animals due to deforestation. Humans are not the only living things on Earth, so it’s important to take animal and plant species into consideration when we make decisions. Unfortunately, the meat industry only cares about making a profit and doesn’t think about the consequences of clearing land for raising animals.
Deforestation also sparks concern for carbon emissions. Every year, deforestation due to cattle ranching is responsible for releasing 340 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. That is 3.4% of global emissions (World Wide Fund for Nature). Carbon emissions are not all we need to worry about. Forests and vegetation absorb a third of carbon emitted by humans around the world (Procopiou). If we cut down all the forests, global warming will only get worse. We’re already on a catastrophic trajectory, and if we continue to cut forests for livestock, things will get exponentially worse. Burning forests and raising livestock releases more carbon, and in addition, we’re getting rid of a natural process that is aiding us in the climate crisis. Deforestation for livestock is just asking for trouble. If the world were to eat less meat, we can save these beautiful forests and the animals who live in them.
When taking carbon emissions and deforestation into consideration, meat seems pretty bad for the environment. But when you throw water consumption into the mix, the environmental footprint becomes horrendous. 99% of all water on Earth is unusable by humans and only about 0.3% of freshwater is found on the surface (National Geographic). So, we need to be careful about how much water we use. The meat industry is not careful when it comes to water consumption. 1,799 gallons of water is needed to produce 1 lb of beef. When we look at how much water 1 lb of corn needs (108 gallons), the amount of water needed for beef looks unreasonable, and that’s because it is (Beyond Meat). Compared to meat, plants don’t need a lot of water. This is a reason why plant-based foods are more sustainable.
To minimize their water consumption, people often take shorter showers. When using a standard showerhead, 1 minute of showering uses 2.5 gallons of water (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Eating one pound of beef is equivalent to 719 minutes (or almost 12 hours) of showering. If water conscious people knew how much water meat uses, they’d all be vegetarian and perhaps forget about how much time they spend in the shower.
If we want to combat climate change, deforestation, and be more water efficient, we need to be vegetarian, or at least eat less meat. Making the transition seems daunting, but it’s actually an easy habit to form. An effective method is to look at what you can eat rather than what you can’t, and recognizing that vegetarian food tastes good too. An example of this is eating a rice bowl with tofu instead of pork. Pork tastes good and has the nutrients we need, but tofu is great too and still has lots of protein. It is important that we use this mindset to protect our planet. We don’t want to suffer more consequences from climate change and we need to think about the other living things on Earth.
Bibliography
Beyond Meat. “The Water Footprint of Meat.” Beyond Meat, 8 February 2015, https://www.beyondmeat.com/whats-new/water-footprint-meat/. Accessed 4 March 2021.
Dunne, Daisy. “Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy?” Carbon Brief, https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/. Accessed 4 March 2021.
National Geographic. “Earth’s Freshwater.” National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/earths-fresh-water/. Accessed 4 March 2021.
Procopiou, Christina. “Amazon Rainforest Absorbing Less Carbon Than Expected.” Berkeley Lab, 20 August 2019, https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/08/20/amazon-rainforest-absorbing-less-carbon-than-expected/. Accessed 4 March 2021.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Per capita availability of chicken higher than that of beef.” USDA, 14 January 2021, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=58312. Accessed 4 March 2021.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle.” EPA, https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle. Accessed 4 March 2021.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Showerheads.” EPA, https://www.epa.gov/watersense/showerheads. Accessed 4 March 2021.
World Animal Foundation. “Deforestation: Clearing the Path for Wildlife Extinction.” World Animal Foundation, https://www.worldanimalfoundation.org/articles/article/8949999/186433.htm. Accessed 4 March 2021.
World Wide Fund for Nature. “Unsustainable Cattle Ranching.” WWF, https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/amazon_threats/unsustainable_cattle_ranching/. Accessed 4 March 2021.
