Ethics Of Eating Meat Essay

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Meat is an essential part of everyday meals for millions of people worldwide and one of the most controversial foods consumed till date. It is estimated that the average American consumes 270 pounds of meat a year, which is double the average globally. Many climate experts say that food production (especially meat) is an important contributor to climate change. Albert Einstein said “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” Eating meat is not only a personal choice but also a moral and ethical decision. Eating meat is bad because of the negative effects it has on our environment. The raising of livestock for meat affects our environment …show more content…

The production process of meat requires huge amount of pesticides, fuel, feeds and fertilizers, which leads to the release of greenhouse gases, manure and a lot of toxic chemicals to our air and water. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), animals on U.S. factory farms produce about 500 million tons of manure each year. Because there is no animal sewage processing plants, it is most frequently stored in massive open-air waste lagoons and are prone to leaks. Runoff from factory farms is one of the leading causes of pollution in our rivers and lakes. The EPA notes that bacteria and viruses can be carried by the runoff and that leads to contamination of …show more content…

It’s true that non-industrialized and traditional farming reduces greenhouse gases when compared to factory farming. According to Nicolette Niman “Livestock grazing has other noteworthy environmental benefits compared to cropland, perennial pastures used for grazing can decrease soil erosion by 80 percent and markedly improve water quality, Minnesota’s Land Stewardship Project Research has found.” As a result, many believe that meat eating is more protective of our environment because it prevents erosion and the greenhouse gases produced is from the fuel burned to operate vehicles and equipment not the livestock farming itself. For this reason, opponents argue that meat eating has more positive effects on our

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