The topic of climate change is frequently discussed, yet so widely misunderstood. The food you endorse, being meat and dairy products, are the leading factors to our world’s rapid decline. The meat and dairy industries are the main culprits of climate change. This is due to the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions, and an unsettling increase in atmospheric carbon levels. The longevity of our planet and species is more important than consuming meat and or dairy products for momentary pleasure. The first conclusion most commonly made by most people when talking about the decline of the environment is the negative impact of motor transportation such as cars, buses, and motorcycles. In reality, the environmental footprint left by these …show more content…
The FAO predicts the human population will increase by 35% between now and 2050. In the same period of time, it 's estimated that the number of livestock worldwide will double which could potentially double the amount of greenhouse gas emissions of livestock. The FAO also found that approximately 37% of methane that is developed by humans comes from livestock practices. Methane having a greater global warming effect than carbon dioxide, it also has a significantly shorter half-life, meaning it takes significantly longer to decompose. A reduction in raising livestock for profit and consumption would have a sudden positive impact on climate …show more content…
Also stated was that vegetarian and vegan diets can be suitable nutritionally for pregnant women, in turn resulting in a high percentage of healthy infants born and positive maternal experiences. Other such benefits of these lifestyle choices include lower levels of low-density cholesterol, a lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and overall considerably fewer cases of type 2 diabetes and even death compared to those who consume products derived from animals. Vegans and vegetarians also tend to have a more realistic and reasonable body mass index in accordance with certain criteria such as age, height, and gender. A properly planned and executed vegan or vegetarian diet includes consuming low amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, while primarily consuming fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fiber, and soy products. All of these beneficial variables combined has been shown to lead to overall greater health and
Millions of animals are consumed everyday; humans are creating a mass animal holocaust, but is this animal holocaust changing the climate? In the essay “ The Carnivores Dilemma,” written by Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer and livestock rancher, asserts that food production, most importantly beef production, is a global contributor to climate change. Nicolette Niman has reports by United Nations and the University of Chicago and the reports “condemn meat-eating,” and the reports also say that beef production is closely related to global warming. Niman highlights, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides are the leading greenhouses gases involved in increasing global warming. A vast majority of people across the world consumes meat and very little people are vegetarian, or the people that don’t eat meat, but are there connections between people and meat production industry when it comes to eating food and the effect it has on the climate? The greenhouse gases, methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides are not only to blame, but we should be looking at people and industrialized farming for the leading cause of greenhouse gases in agriculture and the arm-twisting dilemma we have been lured into, which is meat production itself.
One of the biggest problems facing the world today is global warming. The main reason behind it is the production of carbon dioxide from our cars, factories, power plants and other greenhouse gases, which is having a heating effect on the atmosphere, and this affects our ocean weather and agriculture, thereby dangerous to human life. “In Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork “Anna Lappe gives her views on how global warming can lead to many problems, what are its probable causes and potential solutions to it. Whereas in “Research and Development on Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases in Support of Climate Smart Livestock Production and a Vibrant Industry” Scholtz discusses the impact of global warming and continued, uncontrolled release of greenhouse gases on the livestock industry and consequently food security as well as
...en to be energy inefficient because of the quantity of fossil fuels required for its production. It causes deforestation, topsoil erosion, extensive water usage and pollution, along with numerous health hazards. Many of our tax dollars are directed towards this cause through government subsidies. Among the possible solutions to this problem would be to implement laws to halt deforestation for cattle production, to stop subsidizing water for cow feed, to control cattle population and to increase standards for manure management. Also to, implement mandatory education measures in hospitals for patients suffering from cardiovascular disorders and other health problems related to meat consumption. At the personal level, it is necessary for us to take responsibility for our actions, by paying attention to every bite and being aware of how our decisions affect the planet.
Even though there is a variety of nutritious food all over the world, while the food you have during the winter is less vitamin deficient the food comes at a great ecological cost. With every action comes a consequence; hence, humans do not take the time to acknowledge what they eat and how it affects our environment. Transporting a variety of foods from all over the world hurts our plant due to the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, which causes more pollution (Source D). This transportation issue can be resolved by simply purchasing locally grown food because the carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere causes drastic climate change. McWilliams asserts, “But New Zealand lamb is raised on pastures with a small carbon footprint, whereas most English lamb is produced under intensive factory-like conditions with a big carbon footprint.”(Source C). Not only is carbon a consequence of transportation but also of the factory conditions; hence, the amount of carbon released i...
In today’s society, humans are becoming more health conscious in what they consume. They strive to make sacrifices for their health betterment. Vegetarianism is a unique lifestyle choice that has various health benefits and makes our body feel good. In order to have the knowledge of a vegetarian versus meat diet, it’s good to look into the reasons to change eating habits. People do not decide their eating habits until they are at an age where they can do what they want. Adolescents under nineteen years old are starting to want a change in their lives by avoiding the consumption of meat. Teenagers everywhere are considering and deeply thinking about- is it really healthier to become vegetarian? According to the United States of Agriculture and
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
There is much to be said about how exactly meat is being produced. In the present day, there are hardly any farms out there that still practice the traditional and environmental - friendly way. Animal agriculture is widely used all over the world and greatly contributes to climate change. Meat production leads to global warming because of the combination of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The process of raising animal is the major source to these harmful gases. It is vital to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change by reducing meat consumption. However stopping this meat eating system is extremely difficult, given that we had been consuming meat ever since our ancestors domesticated animals for that purpose. Over the decade Animal agriculture has been getting worse and worse. In 1973 when the Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz announced ‘’ what we want out of agriculture is plenty of food’’, overproduction was encouraged and lowering the price of meat was carried out; this originally started when there was a massive increase in corn (Wolfson). In order to keep up this mass production of meat, multiple pounds of grains are fed to livestock. Livestock industries depended on corn and soy based food and used over half of the artificial fertilizer used in the United States (McWilliams).
One of the biggest controversies with livestock production is that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that get released into the atmosphere. Its assumed that cars produce most if not all the greenhouse gas emissions however livestock has a big say in air pollution. According to Cassandra Brooks, writer for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, 18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock production. This is nearly 20% and can be greatly reduced if people reduced their demand for meat. The Environmental Working Group used a tangible variable for Americans stating “if everyone in the U.S. ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, it would be like not driving 91 billion miles – or taking 7.6 million cars off the road” (Goffman 9). Instead of taking the bus to work, switching your diet around could make just as much of an impact on the environment.
Climate change is a long-term change in regional or global climate patterns. From the mid twentieth century to now, it has mostly been about a significant increase in average global temperatures. Climate change is a major issue in the world today, and a lot of people feel very differently about the cause of it. The common argument about it is whether climate change is a natural occurrence or if the recent increase in temperatures is because of humans. Climate change is a natural cycle in the Earth’s weather. Before humans started burning fossil fuels, there were still weather cycles on Earth that were as hot or hotter than what it is now. In fact, Earth’s weather now, is on pace with the previous weather patterns in history. Human emitted
In recent years, climate change has been a controversial topic. Many people, including country leaders argue that the change is real and irreversible, while others claim it is a tactic to envoke fear among people. Climate change is defined as, “a change in the typical or average weather of a region or city” (nasa). Their is remarkable evidence for both sides of the debate which raises the arguable question, is climate change real? In this essay, I will explain both arguments of the topic about the controversy that surrounds climate change. For argumentative paper you must also develop your own position and defend your point of view on this topic. In your intro please provide a clear thesis statement.
One of the major issues in today’s society is Global warming. It is one of many kinds of climate that the Earth goes through. The primary cause of global warming is the human expansion of the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases keep the earth warm through a process called greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases like Carbon dioxide trap heat from the atmosphere and maintain the soil warm. Without greenhouse gases, our planet would be too cold. However, people are adding extra greenhouse gases when they’re driving, using electricity, and in a factory. A lot of energy comes from fossil fuels. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the earth’s temperature has increased by 0.8 degree Celsius over the past century. More than half of this grew
When these agricultural resources are given to the animals involved in meat production, these resources are lost. Besides the loss of land, the process of animal production is contributing to pollution and other greenhouse gases that are doing irreplaceable damage to the environment and contribute to untold negative health
Climate change is one of the major issues surfacing earth over the past century. The earth’s temperature has increased over the years leading to detrimental effects on the economic and life sources of people, especially that of agricultural production and livestock. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2014), defined climate change as a change in global climate patterns apparent from the mid late 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007) predicts that by 2100 the increase in global average surface temperature may be between 1.8° C and 4.0° C. With increases of 1.5° C to 2.5° C, approximately 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species are expected to be at risk of extinction. Moreover, the IPCC (2007) purported that climate change has severe consequences for food security in developing countries. There are numerous factors that are solely responsible for this change which are both natural and man-made. Climate change has led to a decrease in quality and quantity of plant produce and livestock because of heat stress, drought and an increase in plant and animal diseases.
Global Warming One of the most substantial problems in the world today is global warming. This gradual warming of the earth is in occurrence at an extremely slow rate but it is happening. Many scientists believe that as human’s work and release greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, it can become dangerous for the long lasting life of humans and our environment. “Unless we take immediate action, the impacts of global warming will continue to intensify, grow ever more costly and damaging, and increasingly affect the entire planet - including you, your community, and your family” (“Global Warming Impacts”).
However, one of the reasons that humans still carry out certain activities that continue to pose a threat to the environment such as deforestation is mainly for agricultural purpose, which is responsible for feeding the world’s 7.2 billion population. In that case, global warming will still remain as a growing t...