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How is Livestock Contributing to Climate Change?

Anna Goddard

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103

04 November 2019
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The mass production of livestock is a growing issue in today’s society that is often

overlooked. According to Lisa Friedman Who is Lisa Friedman? You may want to include her

credentials, livestock emissions account for between 14 and 18 percent of greenhouse gas

emissions worldwide Interesting. Beef alone accounts for three percent of these emissions. This

is a prominent amount of emissions considering the United States alone emitted 6.5 billion

metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2017 alone. Methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide are

amongst the greenhouse gases being emitted and are all harmful to the environment. Methane is

one of the highest emissions due to the fact that it is created by animal manure, and this gas is 72

times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms to raising global temperatures (Halverson).

Global climate change is already having a visible effect on the planet. The temperature is rising,

glaciers are melting, plants are blooming sooner, heat waves are more intense, and animal ranges

are shifting. The amount of emissions being produced could be cut significantly if the livestock

industry was more closely regulated. The livestock industry is contributing to the issue of climate

change due to the large amount of emissions produced, this could be combatted though more

strict regulations on these companies. These two sentences are almost the same consider cutting

one sentence or refining

The meat consumed by the American people has a direct impact on the environment.

These goods are costly in terms of resources used. Although all livestock uses many resources, it

has been found that beef production requires exponentially more resources than any other animal

product. According to Eshel Gidon Give credentials to establish credibility, the amount of

greenhouse gases emitted for a consumed Mcal May want to define. The average reader may not

know what a Mcal is. of beef is much higher than any other livestock. While poultry, eggs, dairy,

and pork all are between one and three kg CO2, beef totals at about 10 kg. The reactive nitrogen
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produced by the production of one Mcal of beef adds up to 176 grams while all other livestock

weighs in between 25 and 50 grams. Although beef is the costliest for the environment, it is the

second most popular animal category in the American diet.

This is a growing problem due to the rise of meat consumption. Developing countries

have gone from consuming 86 metric tons of meat in 1980 to 112 metric tons in 2015. This is

even more prevalent country in developing countries where the numbers have gone from 47

metric tons to 184 metric tons, respectively. Beef production has more than doubled and chicken

meat has increased by a factor of ten. Interesting fact The blame can be pinned on both the

supermarket industry growing in developed countries and the rapid population growth

(Thornton). According to Debra Donahue, by 2050, global demand for livestock products is

projected to raise by 70 percent, if not double Different font. With growing demand, companies

are pushing to get product out with little regard for how it is impacting the environment.

Most agricultural emissions come from soil management, enteric fermentation, energy

use, and manure management. According to Crystal Powers Consider including credentials,

excess nitrogen in agriculture systems can be converted to nitrous oxide, which has 310 times

greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Mismanagement of the soil can lead to

higher emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Naturally, the cycle of respiration and

denitrification in plants is supposed to avoid this high emission rate. This cycle removes nitrogen

from the air and makes it usable for plants, then it is eventually released back into the air and the

cycle is repeated. However, with the mass production and use of fertilizer happening currently,

the natural cycle is unable to remove all of these emissions from the air. A large part of farming

is growing the feed for the animals, so with the large amount of livestock, there is a higher

demand for these crops to be grown, leading to these high emissions. The byproducts of the
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animals themselves mostly include methane, which is also very harmful when released in such

mass quantities. With so many animals being packed into high production farms, the manure is

not properly being managed or disposed resulting in high methane levels being produced. The

animals also release methane when performing bodily functions such as belching. Methane

levels have actually doubled in less than 10 years after remaining pretty much level since the

1990s Great inclusion. There are many smaller additional sources of these greenhouse gas

emissions including farm equipment and engines, pesticides, seeds, plastic, and building

materials. There are so many small parts all contributing to the environmental impact the

livestock industry has and the only way to cut these emissions is increased government

regulation.

Currently, there is little to no regulation on these large corporations that are playing such

a large part in the destruction of our planet. According to Nathan Halverson, despite the United

States joining the other 194 countries in the Paris Climate Pact, they are already failing to follow

its own limitations regarding emissions. The United States has missed deadlines regarding the

reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and has not been transparent with the numbers regarding

the issue. Other countries, specifically China, have not revealed their numbers at all making the

fight to avoid the consequences of climate change difficult to win. Additionally, in the annual

emissions reports, the meat industry was left out entirely despite it being one of the top

contributors to greenhouse gases. This is due to the fact that these companies refused to publish

their emissions. When the Environmental Protection Agency found out about this, they put a ban

from the agency spending any additional money on trying to collect these reports. This ban has

allowed these large-scale livestock companies to remain unregulated and continue their

destructive practices. Great inclusion

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It is clear that the government is not doing their part to stop this. The ban on the EPA

gathering these companies’ emissions is the main thing holding the United States back from

regulating these companies. There are solutions to this problem, but without government

incentives, these companies are unlikely to change their ways as it will be costly and time

consuming. Technology exists that captures the methane from animal waste and converts it into

electricity. Scientists have also found ways to reduce the methane emissions from cow belching

with methods such as changing their diets. Companies are unlikely to do this because of the lack

of incentive and the fact that they are in a loophole allowing them to currently avoid all

regulation. By doing nothing and allowing the pollution to escape in the atmosphere, these

companies do not have to adhere to the EPA greenhouse gas regulations. However, if they were

to capture the methane to transform into energy, it would be able to be regulated by the EPA,

requiring them to make costly changes to their production habits. It is clear these companies

want to get their product out with as little time and money as possible contributed (Halverson).

The government needs to crack down on these companies and limit their emissions. They need to

provide incentive to these companies in order to make a change. The current government actions

to help climate change are not cutting it when one of the biggest contributors to the problem is

essentially being ignored. The destruction of the planet is not going to slow down unless

something is done about this.

Scientists say changing our food system will have a quicker impact on stopping climate

change than altering our fossil fuel habits (Halverson). That is why this is a pressing issue that

needs to be addressed by not only the government, but the people of the United States. It is

important to bring awareness of this issue to the public. If there is public demand for change, it

will become clear to election candidates and those already in office that taking action on this is
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important to the people. There will be more push for action and budget going towards this issue.

If this issue is more widespread the American people, they will be able to do their part as well

Fix this sentence. A nonvegetarian diet uses 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more energy and 13

times more fertilizer than a vegetarian diet, according to a study by The American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition (Sugg). Although a vegetarian or lifestyle is not attainable or practical for

everyone because of income or health issues, most people can do their part to at least cut down

on meat consumption. With less demand, there will be less need for production. This is not a

problem that can be solved with one person. This is going to take the effort of the companies

contributing to the problem, the government, and the people of the United States.
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Works Cited

Friedman, Lisa, et al. “The Meat Question, by the Numbers.” The New York Times, 25 Jan 2018.

www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/climate/cows-global-warming.html. Accessed 22 Oct

2019.

Gidon, Eshel, et al. “Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of

meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States.” Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol.111, no. 33, 2014, pp. 11996-

12001. www.pnas.org/content/pnas/111/33/11996.full.pdf. Accessed 22 Oct 2019.

Halverson, Nathan. “Why isn’t the U.S. counting meat producers’ climate emissions?” Grist. 04

January 2016. grist.org/article/why-isnt-the-u-s-counting-meat-producers-climate-

emissions. Accessed 07 November 2019.

Powers, Crystal. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock & Poultry.” Livestock and Poultry

Environmental Learning Community. 05 Mar 2019. lpelc.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-

from-livestock-poultry/. Accessed 22 Oct 2019.

Sugg, Hayley. “Why Switching to a Vegan Diet Is Good for the Planet (and You!).” EatingWell.

www.eatingwell.com/article/291090/why-switching-to-a-vegan-diet-is-good-for-the-

planet-and-you/. Accessed 07 November 2019.

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Thornton, Philip K. “Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects.” US National Library

of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 27 September 2010.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935116/. Accessed 07 November 2019.