Elena Soto

CS 5
April 20th

Meat and Environmental Problems

Nowadays our planet is experimenting serious problems with the
environment. Topics like air pollution, environmental impact and climate change
are discussed everyday around the world. Pollution is causing the deterioration
of the ozone layer. In consequence natural disasters like floods and droughts hit
cities and towns every year. Lakes, rivers and the sea are being contaminated
causing healthy problems and death in people who live near of these affluent.
The current situation of the world is disturbing all forms of live. Activities like
mining, oil extraction and industrialization are some of the causes of
environmental problems. However, few people know that the production of meat
is one of the most polluting activities and has one of the greatest worldwide
environmental impacts. Meat industry is responsible for land issues, water
issues and air issues.
Meat industry is responsible for land issues. At this time, livestock
production plays a significant role in deforestation. Huge amounts of forest had
disappeared to create pasture to feed animals used for food. According to the
report, Livestock a major threat to environment, Livestock now use 30 percent
of the earths entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including
33 percent of the global arable land used to producing feed for livestock. As
forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of deforestation,
especially in Latin America where, for example, some 70 percent of former

forest in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing (FAO Food and
Agriculture Organization). The relation between meat consumption and
deforestation is strongest in Latin America. Trees are cut and the land is
converted into a pasture for cattle grazing. For example, in Brazil the rainforest
is being seriously affected. According to the publication, Slaughtering the
Amazon Cattle are responsible for about 80% of all deforestation in the
Amazon region. In recent years, on average one hectare of Amazon rainforest
has been lost to cattle ranchers every 18 seconds. The cattle sector in the
Brazilian Amazon is responsible for 14% of the worlds annual deforestation.
This makes it the worlds largest driver of deforestation, responsible for more
forest loss than the total deforestation in any country outside Brazil except
Indonesia (Greenpeace). In the end, deforestation is the result of meat industry
which is affecting significantly the environment. Also, livestock production plays
a significant role in the soil degradation. Cattle trampling impedes the infiltration
of water into the soil and the cover of vegetation is removed from the land giving
as a result soil erosion. According to the study, Soil Erosion and Degradation
The conversion of natural ecosystems to pasture land doesnt damage the land
initially as much as crop production, but this change in usage can lead to high
rates of erosion and loss of topsoil and nutrients. Overgrazing can reduce
ground cover, enabling erosion and compaction of the land by wind and rain.
This reduces the ability for plants to grow and water to penetrate, which harms
soil microbes and results in serious erosion of the land (World Wild Life WWF).
Overgrazing also affects the regeneration capacity of the plants. When the
livestock graze upon the plants heavily, the roots get destroyed. The article

Overgrazing Can Hurt Environment, Your Pocketbook explains that

Overgrazing reduces plant leaf areas, which reduces interception of sunlight
and plant growth. Plants become weakened and have reduced root length, and
the pasture sod weakens. The reduced root length makes the plants more
susceptible to death during dry weather. The weakened sod allows weed seeds
to germinate and grow (Rayburn). As most part of the land is used to raise
animals for food in the US, the entire country is becoming sterile. The article
How does eating meat harm the environment? supports this idea, Of all
agricultural land in the U.S., 87 percent is used to raise animals for food. Thats
45 percent of the total land mass in the U.S. About 260 million acres of U.S.
forest have been cleared to create cropland to produce feed for animals raised
for food. The meat industry is directly responsible for 85 percent of all soil
erosion in the U.S (Peta). In the end, livestock production makes that the soil
becomes infertile and dry.
Meat industry is responsible of water issues. One of the main problems
that people face is water shortages. Producing meat requires huge amount of
water. The meat industry is increasing day by day; as a result more water is
necessary. Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising
animals for food. According with an article, Meat Production Wastes Natural
Resources It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of
beef, while growing 1 pound of wheat only requires 25 gallons (Peta). It means
that people save more water by not eating a pound of beef than not taking a
shower for six months. California, for example, is facing a water crisis. On
February, 2015, Governor Jerry Brown ordered residents and businesses to cut

water use by 25 percent because there is no enough water to supply the

necessity. This crisis is related to meat industry. Californias water consumption
comes from the production of Alfalfa. According to the article, Meat Makes the
Planet Thirsty, The majority of alfalfa is not grown for human consumption but
to feed livestock. Grown on over a million acres in California, alfalfa sucks up
more water than any other crop in the state. And it has one primary destination:
cattle. Increasingly popular grass-fed beef operations typically rely on alfalfa as
a supplement to pasture grass. Alfalfa hay is also an integral feed source for
factory-farmed cows, especially those involved in dairy production
(MCwilliams). These facts show that the indiscriminate use of water in the meat
industry makes that in some places people have to reduce their consumption.
Other problem that people face is water pollution. And livestock manure is the
mainly cause of contamination. Factory farms typically have hundreds or
thousands of animals, these animals produce a large amount of excrement, if it
is not managed correctly, this waste pollutes water. According to the article,
Factory Farming and the Environment, Factory farms typically store animal
waste in huge, open-air lagoons, often as big as several football fields, which
are prone to leaks and spills. In 2011, an Illinois hog farm spilled 200,000
gallons of manure into a creek, killing over 110,000 fish (Moskovitz). Other
factor which contributes to water pollution is the slaughterhouses waste. These
places have canals to transport the wastewater composed by skin, blood, bits of
flesh or rejects to the drains. The drains lead the wastewater to the rivers and
finally the rivers run off the wastewater water into the sea. In consequence, the
wastewater may cause a strong reduction of the amount of dissolved oxygen,

which in turn may lead to reduced levels of activity or even death of aquatic life.
According to the bulletin, Pollution from industrialized livestock production,
wastewater leads the Destruction of fragile ecosystems such as wetlands,
mangrove swamps and coral reefs irreplaceable reservoirs of biodiversity that
are the last refuge of many endangered species (FAO). In the end meat
industry affects the quality of water makes it danger for consumption.
Meat industry is responsible for air issues. At this time, livestock is the
largest source of greenhouse gases like methane. Methane is twenty one times
more potent at catching heat from the Sun than carbon dioxide. According to the
article, Do Cow Farts Actually Contribute to Global Warming, Methane gas,
like all other greenhouse gases acts like a blanket around our planet, trapping
heat. The right amount has an average temperature of a life-supporting 59
degrees Fahrenheit. Too little and the greenhouse effect becomes weak. Too
much and the surface of the planet becomes so hot (Blitz). Methane gas
emitted by cows and other livestock has a significant impact on the amount of
greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, which are the main cause of global
warming. According to the article, Pollution from industrialized livestock
production, Emissions of methane from ruminants digesting fibrous feeds and
from manure storage facilities add up to nearly 90 million tons per year,
accounting for about 16 percent of global annual production (FAO). In the end,
livestock leads the emissions of methane gas which damages the air 20 times
more than any other gas. At this time, livestock is the largest source of carbon
dioxide CO2. According to a new report the livestock sector generates more
greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent 18 percent than

transport (FAO). The overpopulation of cows in farms used for food is one of
the main problems of the emission of CO2; while more amounts of cows
breathing together more amounts of CO2 goes into the air. According to the
article, Livestock and Climate Change, The standing stock livestock biomass
increased significantly over the last decades. This continuing growthcould
be considered as a carbon sequestration process (roughly estimated at 1 or 2
million tons carbon per year) (Anhang). In the end, livestock contributes to the
emission of carbon dioxide more than industries and cars. At this time, livestock
is the largest source of ammonia. Ammonia contributes significantly to acid rain.
The impact of ammonia in the air is 300 times more destructive than the carbon
dioxide. In the publication, Ammonia Emissions and Animal Agriculture,
explains Livestock and poultry are often fed high-protein feed, which contains
surplus nitrogen. Nitrogen that is not metabolized into animal protein is excreted
in the urine and feces of livestock and poultry where further microbial action
releases ammonia into the air during manure decomposition (Gay). In the end,
livestock contributes to the emission of ammonia which results in acid rain.
In conclusion, meat industry has much more impact in environmental
problems than others. Meat industry contributes to the destruction of forests and
the deterioration of land. In addition, meat industry is also the main responsible
for pollution and scarcity of water. Finally, meat industry produces more
greenhouse gases than any other industry. Meat consumption becomes an
activity which affects negatively the environment. A change in peoples diet is
necessary in order to stop the destruction of the planet.

Works Cited