Category Archives: Environment

A Gassy Meal

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Greenhouse gases are generated by all kinds of things.  Burning fossil fuels is likely the most commonly known cause of these gases, however it is not the most substantial.  Animal agriculture causes 18% of emissions, more than all forms of transportation combined.  Transportation is the cause of 13% of emissions.  Livestock byproducts are responsible for 51% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, due to the 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide released per year.  Additionally, the waste produced by livestock produces more methane than any other source.  Methane has been shown to do more damage to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide – possibly 100 times more destructive on a 20 year timeframe.  150 billion gallons of methane are produced every day from livestock.  Livestock also releases around 65% of emissions of nitrous oxide, a gas almost 300 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.  Nitrous oxide can remain in the atmosphere for 150 years.

These emissions are expected to increase over the years, possibly up to 60% of all emissions.  Energy emissions are expected to increase to 20%.  When global warming begins to substantially affect our planet, one can expect prices to increase on many day-to-day items, and some may even lose their homes.  We can expect to see climate wars due to the rising ocean levels destroying some inhabited lands.

Of course, riding a bike or walking is much better for than planet than driving a car, however leaving meat off your plate will have a much greater impact.  How else might someone reduce their impact on the atmosphere?  Should there be better laws in place in order to protect the environment?  Or is the health of the planet the responsibility of every one on it?

Land

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The world only has so much land to be used for growing food.  As of right now, 1/3 or earth’s livable land is dedicated to livestock or livestock feed.  As much as 70% of crops that are grown are fed to livestock.  We could be using these crops to feed hungry people all around the world, but many people would rather have meat on their plate.

Animal agriculture is also considered the greatest cause of ocean dead zones, species extinction, water pollution, and habitat destruction.  Rain-forests are destroyed in order to create more land to raise animals and their crops.  This destroys not only the homes of animals in these areas, but also homes of people.  Many tribes still survive in these forests, and the industry has come in and taken over their home.

Waterways are contaminated through all the pesticides and herbicides that are used to aid in the clearing of land.  These waters often lead to the oceans, and are creating ocean dead zones.  It has been said that we will see dead oceans by the year 2050 if we do not change our ways.  There are currently over 500 nitrogen flooded dead zones in the oceans, and this number is steadily climbing.

Even if people decide to cut animals from their diet, there is still much work to be done.  We much actually make an effort to reverse the damage we have caused.  What other reasons might be causing ocean dead zones or extensive land usage?

 

Thirsty, huh?

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As a whole, people generally care about the environment.  We recycle, take short showers, and carpool.  If people are taking these steps, why is our planet still going through an environmental disaster?  Unfortunately, these steps alone are only a small solution to a very big problem.  Specifically, our water use is an enormous problem.

We consume a lot more water than simply what is in our homes.  Showers, toilets, and drinking water is but a fraction of the water consumed each day.  When we sit down to dinner full of vegetables and maybe even a steak, do we consider how this food was made?  Most of us get our food from either a grocery store or a local farmer’s market.  Very few people actually grow their own food year round.  Consider how much water is needed for a full day’s recommended amount of fruits and vegetables:

A garden that is 8ft x 4ft, or 32 sq. ft. could provide a small family’s daily recommended fruits and vegetables for several days.  Each week, the garden requires 20 gallons of water in order for the plants to grow (a typical shower is approximately 17 gallons).  Now, what if we are raising animals, so that we can get our protein and enjoy a tasty steak?  We have to provide grains for the animal to become fully grown!  Cows will consume approximately 27 pounds of quality hay each day.  If it takes 20 gallons of water to grow 32 sq. ft. of plants, imagine how much it takes to grow 27 lbs worth of plants.

Mammals are pretty thirsty beings, whether it is drinking water directly or watering the plants we eat everyday.  When the majority of America chooses to have meat almost every day, if not every meal, there is no doubt we will have some sort of water crisis.  Check out the following infographic to visually understand the amount of water we consume:

(click to enlarge)

Now, taking shorter showers is always a good thing; however, in the grand scheme of things, there are other important steps we can take to limit our use of water!  Next time you sit down for dinner, opt for a veggie burger (using half the amount of water) instead of the usual beefy burger.

Sources:

http://beef.unl.edu/cattleproduction/

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/

http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/files/185639.pdf