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EmilyHayashida
JoshBrower
SeniorInternship
December17,2015
SeniorInternship:AnimalAgriculture
Introduction
Growingupinthisgeneration,talesofglobalwarmingandclimatechangearealwayson
thenewsandareaconstantdebate.IntheHayashidahouseholdthereandcountlessexamplesof
ourownpersonalfightagainstglobalwarmingfromLEDlightstoreusablewaterbottles,and
efficientvehicles.Mymomhasalwaystoldustorecycletodoourpart,andifwewerelazy
aboutrecyclingmymomwouldgetfurious.Throughthis,Iwasbroughtupdoingmypartto
helptheenvironment.ThusIwantedtotakeadvantageoftheopportunitytohaveaninternship
atH2oTrashPatrol.
OneofthefirstthingsIdidonthejobatmyinternshipwaswatchamovietitled
Cowspiracy.Withinthedocumentarythefilmdiscussesthathetoothroughouthislifehas
beendoingwhathecantohelptheenvironmentandislookingformorewaystoimprovehis
environmentallyfriendlylifestyle.Heinvestigatesanimalagricultureafterhearingaboutit
throughaglobalstudythatwasreleasedpubliclyontheinternet.Hethencontinuestoscrutinize
theanimalagricultureindustryanddiscussesthepertinentissuesandhoweverybodyis
ultimatelyignoranttothetopic.
ThedocumentaryCowspiracy,whilequitebiased,introducedmetoawholenew
componentofthefactorsthatcontributetoclimatechange.Itgotmethinking,sinceIhadrarely

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heardofsuchthings,onlysomeseeminglyinaccuratesharedpostsonFacebookaboutthe
inefficiencyandwastefulnessthatcomesfromanimalfarmingWhatexactlyisanimal
agricultureandwhatdoesthegeneralpopulationknowaboutit?

Background
Theearthsclimatehaschangedthroughouthistory.Thecurrentwarmingandcooling
trendsareallunderacategoryofClimateChange.TheprevioustermGlobalWarmingisa
somewhatinappropriatetitlebecausetechnicallytheclimateandwidescalechangesarenotonly
warmingasoncesuspectedaccordingtoaNASAarticle.Theevidenceofclimatechangeisa
massivephysicalchangeandcanbeseenallovertheworld.Thehardevidencecanbeseenfrom
risingsealevels,higheroceantemperatures,meltingicesheets,oceanacidification,decreased
snowcover,andextremestormevents(GlobalClimateChange.)
Climatechangeiscausedbyalargeproblemcalledgreenhousegasorthegreenhouse
effect.Thegreenhouseeffectoccurswhentheatmospheretrapsheatin,thatshouldbeemanating
towardsspace.Theatmosphereismadeupofmanygasesincludingnitrogen,oxygen,argon,
carbondioxide,watervaporandothersmallamountsofothertracegases.Buttherearesome
gasesintheatmospherethatpreventheatfromescaping,thusresultinginthewarmingeffects.
Thewarminggasesincludenitrousoxide,watervapor,methane,andcarbondioxide.Methane
specificallyisreleasedfromnaturalanimalandhumanactivityfromdigestiontothemanureof
livestock.AccordingtotheUnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgencynaturalprocessesin
thesoilandchemicalreactionsthathappenwithintheatmospherehelpremovesomeofthe
methanethatexiststhere.Methanehasamuchshorterlifespanattwelveyears,thancarbon

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dioxidebutisbetterattrappingtheradiationandheatin.Worldwide,oversixtypercentof
methaneemissionsareduetohumanrelatedactivities(
U.S.GreenhouseGasInventoryReport.)
Animalagricultureisanothercomponentoftheevergrowingissueofclimatechange.an
articlebyPhillipRosspresentedanewstudybytheaforementionedUSEPAitwasfoundthat
theU.S.isspewingfiftypercentmoremethane,agreenhousegastwentyonetimesbetterat
trappingheatthancarbondioxide,intotheatmospherethanpreviouslyassumed(
U.S.
GreenhouseGasInventoryReport.)
AccordingtothesamestudybytheUSEPA,Livestocks
flatulenceaccountsforalargeportionofthemethanegasbeingreleasedintotheatmosphere.
Researcherssaycowsareproducingtwiceasmuchmethanegasasscientistspreviously
believed.ThestatesproducingthemostmethanegaswereTexas,OklahomaandKansaswhich
alsohappentohavealotofcows,oilandgas.Asinglecowcanproducebetween66to132
gallons,ofmethaneadayvaryingwiththecowsdiet.InastudydonebyDr.IanBullof
Bristol'sSchoolofChemistrycowsthatwereabletograzeonasmuchsilageordrygrassasthey
desiredreleasedmoreflatulenceandfeceswitharchaeolthancowsthatconsumedasetamount
ofsilagewithasupplementofconcentratedfeed.Archaeolisamicrobethatlivesinthedigestive
gutofruminantanimalsandisthebyproductoftheirmetabolism(ScienceDaily.)
Agriculturalactivitiescontributedirectlytoemissionsofgreenhousegasesthrougha
varietyofprocesses.InanotherstudyconductedbyScotM.Miller,andStevenC.Wofsy,
c
olleaguesattheCarnegieInstitutionforScience,theNationalOceanicandAtmospheric
Administration(NOAA),andfiveotherinstitutions,usedacombinationofobservationand
modelingtoconducttheiranalysis.Inthestudytheycollectedmethanesamplesfrom
telecommunicationtowertopsandresearchflightsfromvariouslocations.Thedifferent

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approachgaveinsightintheEPAsstudyinthattheamountsofmethanevarybylocationanda
newpointbeingthemethanesorigin(NewYorkTimes.)
Intherecentyearstherehavebeensomedocumentariescoveringthetopicsofanimal
agricultureandtheopinionsflyinfromvaryingperspectives.Themanypeopleinvolvedwiththe
processofanimalagricultureandthescientiststhatstudyitseffectscanquiteoftenquarrelbut
theworldhascometotermswiththefactthatitisadamagingindustry.Whatthepeoplechose
tododeterminesthefateoftheplanet,soitiswishedthatthehumanpopulationmovesforward
intherightdirectionthrougheducationandmoreresearch(GreatlyUnderestimatedMethane
Emissions,NewYorkTimes.)

Methods
ThechosensettingofthesurveytoanswertheessentialquestionwasHighTechHigh
NorthCounty.Thedatawascollectedfromteenagersvaryinginagefrom1418andvarying
gradelevels.ThesurveysentouttosomeHighTechHighNorthCountystudents.The
developmentofthesurveywasthekeytoitssuccess.Sendingthesurveyouttomanystudents
waskeytothehighreturnratewhichallowedustocollectalotofdata.
Datacollectionstartedwiththeessentialquestion,thenwiththeessentialquestionitwas
discussedwhatwouldbethebestwaytogetitansweredinasmallsetting,sothelocationHigh
TechHighNorthCountywasselected.Thebrainstormfortheselectquestionsthatwere
includedinthesurveywerethenmadeupandthesurveywasdevelopedingoogleforms.The
questionsinclude,1)Whatisanimalagriculture?2)Howdoyouclassifyyourdiet?3)How
oftendoyoueatmeatonaweeklybasis?4)Checktheboxesonthetypesofmeatthatyouhave

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consumedinthelastmonth?5)Howmanygallonsofwaterdoyouthinkittakestomakea
quarterpounderhamburger?6)Whichcountyeatsthemostamountofmeatinpounds?7)How
wouldyoudescribegreenhousegasses?8)Doyouthinkanimalagricultureandclimatechange
arerelated,andifsoexplain?Theultimategoalofthesurveyistodeterminetheextentofthe
knowledgeofanimalagriculturethatthegrouphas,andwhattheknowledgegapis.

Analysis/Discussion
Animalagricultureisthepracticeofbreedinganimalsfortheproductionofanimal
productsandforrecreationalpurposes.Animalagricultureisthekeytoproducingtheamountof
meathumansconsumeonadailybasis.TheUnitedStatesisoneoftheguiltiestofthecountries
whenitcomestotheoverconsumptionofmeat.AccordingtoanNPRArticlebyAllisonAubrey
theaverageamericanconsumesabout270poundsofmeateveryyearweighinginat62.4
poundsofbeef,46.5poundsofpork,and73.6poundsofchicken.ThisiscomparedtoThe
UnitedKingdomthatcomesinat188.52pounds,Mexicoat139.56pounds,andChinawith
117.84pounds.TheonlycountrythatbeatstheUnitedStatesisLuxembourgwhichcomesin
withanaverageof301.4poundsofmeatperyear.
Whentheaveragepersongoestothegrocerystoreortheirfavoriterestaurantthey
typicallydonotstoptothinkaboutwheretheirfoodiscomingfromandwhatittooktoproduce
it.Thetypicalquarterpounderhamburgercouldbeconsideredastapleofthestereotypical
americandietandiseasyforalmostanyonetoreference.Yettheconstothatmealarenot
thoughtofwhenitisconsumed,especiallyconsideringthemealspriceandconvenience.Ahalf
poundhamburgertakes6.7poundsofgrainandfeed,52.8gallonsofwaterfordrinkingandcrop
irrigation,74.5squarefeetforgrazingandgrowingfeedcrops,and1,036Btusforfeed

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productionandtransport.ToputaBtusincontext1,036couldpowerthetypicalmicrowavefor
18minutes(ANationOfMeatEaters:SeeHowItAllAddsUpNPR.)
Agricultureofalltypesisharmfulandexpeditestheproductionofgreenhousegases,but
animalagricultureistheguiltiest.Thefarmingofbeefisthemostenvironmentallyharmingofall
typesofraisedanimalsforconsumption.Cattleproductionistaxingonthelandand
environment,manymethodsincludeburningdownforestswhichresultinthereleaseofcarbon
dioxideintotheatmosphereandmassiveamountsofwaterandfertilizertogrowthecowsfood.
Withtheconstantlygrowingissueofanimalagricultureitwouldseemfoolishtobelievethatthe
averageamericanisblindtoit(ANationOfMeatEaters:SeeHowItAllAddsUpNPR.)
OutofthefiftyhighschoolerssurveyedatHighTechHighNorthCountyonlytwofelt
theyhadagoodunderstandingofwhatanimalagriculturewasand,whengiventheoptionto
inputtheirthoughtsonwhatitis,onerespondentstated:Wehavelearnedaboutclimatechange
brieflyinclassandfromwhatthereadingshavetoldmethatisreallyallIknow,butitisofa
topicthatdoesinterestme.Thisisastoundingbecauseevenwiththebasicbackground
informationthatwasprovided,theywereinterestedbutnotyetenoughthattheywentouton
theirowntoresearchitmorethoroughly.AnotherrespondentsaidThegrowingandharvesting
ofmeattoeat,whichisarelativelyaccuratedescription.AccordingtotheCanadian
Encyclopediathedefinitionofanimalagricultureisthepracticeofbreedinganimalsforthe
productionofanimalproductsandforrecreationalpurposes(AnimalAgricultureTheCanadian
Encyclopedia.)
Whilethebackgroundknowledgethatthestudentshadwasnotastounding,theywere
surprisinglyknowledgeableaboutthestatistics.Withinthesurveywhenaskedhowmanygallons

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ofwaterittooktomakeahalfpoundhamburgertwentytwooutofthefiftystudentssaid
fiftytwopointeight,whichisthecorrectanswer.Thenwhenaskedaboutthetopmeateating
country(inaverageannualindividual'sconsumption)exactlyfiftypercentortwentyfiveofthe
studentswhohadtakenthesurveychosetheUnitedStates.
Throughoutthesurveythedataalsopresentedthenumbersofmeateatersandvegetarians
thatwereinthepool,andasfoundoutofthepopulationoffiftystudents,thirtyninewere
classifiedasmeateaters,tenasvegetariansandonewasavegan.Whiletherewasnotnecessarily
anycorrelationbetweentheclassificationvegetarian,meateater,andveganwhenitcameto
explaininganddescribingwhatgreenhousegasseswere,theresponseswerelittletonothing.The
resultwasmanygreengas,badfortheenvironment,andIdontknows.Whenaskedabout
thecorrelationbetweenanimalagricultureandclimatechangethereweremanytheymusthave
somethingtodowitheachotherbecauseyouaskedandmaybebutIdontknow.Whilethere
wasnodefiniteanswertheanswersseemedtohavesomeuncertainty.Thisisworrisome,while
someofthestudentsmayhavelearnedaboutthewastefulnessofanimalagriculturetogetthe
numberstheclimatechangeaspectisthepartthatshouldmakethemcare.

Conclusion
Oneofthebiggestissueswithanimalagricultureafterthefactofitsdamageonthe
planet,ishowlittlethegeneralpopulationknowsaboutit.Withpeopleeatingmeateverydayat
therateitisconsumedintheUnitedStatestheworldwillbefacingafiftypercentincrease
withinthenextthirtyfiveyearsintheamountofmethaneandcarbondioxidethatitalready
existsintheatmosphereinthepresentday.Thegeneralpopulationhasextensiveknowledge

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aboutthetopic,andthelackingofeducationistoaidtothegrowingissue.Whileitseemsthat
stoppingtheamountofbeefthattheworldconsumeswouldbethesimplestanswer,itisnot.
AnimalAgricultureitselfisahugeindustrywherethereismoneytobemade.Withthisinmind
itdoesnotseemlikelyforthefarmerstostopgrowingcowsiftheconsumerkeepsrequesting
them.Peopleshoulddotheirparttorestrictandcutbacktheamountsofmeatthattheydo
consume,butshouldnotnecessarilyhavetobecomevegetarians.
Thefarmersthemselvesshouldalsodotheirpartbyfeedingtheircowsmorevariationsof
feedinsteadofjustone.Thiscouldlessenthemethaneoutputpercowmakingnotonlyanimpact
intheoutputtheactualcowitself.Thepublicalsoneedstobeeducatedabouttheflawswithin
theagriculturalfarmingsystemandlearntheconsequencesofthemassamountsofmeatthat
theyconsume,andareheldresponsibleforthoserepercussions.Withouttheknowledgeofthe
topic,peoplearenotgivenareasontogiveupsomethingtheylove.Theeducationwithinthe
currentyounggenerationsistheykeybecausetheyaretheirfuture,andbuildinggoodhabitsat
anearlyagemakethemeasiertocarrythroughlife.

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Analysis:

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NPR
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