Animal Agriculture and the Environment
Animal agriculture and processing impact the environment more than you may think. Animals raised for food need to be grown, transported, processed, and distributed – each step creating greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food, according to the United Nations.
75% of agricultural land is devoted to the livestock industry. This includes pastures and acres devoted to raising crops for animal feed. Reducing the amount of land needed to feed smaller herds and CAPO operations would reduce chemical fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide usage; nutrient and topsoil runoff; manure management problems; water and antibiotic consumption; and desertification of pasture land. It would allow returning some land to natural habitat to benefit the other species on our planet.
The largest amount of food-related greenhouse gases comes from agriculture and land use. This includes:
- Methane from cattle’s digestive process
- Nitrous oxide from fertilizers used for crop production
- Carbon dioxide from fossil fuel usage and deforestation to expand farmland
- Other agricultural emissions from manure management, rice cultivation, and burning of crop residues.
A smaller share of the greenhouse gas emissions of food are caused by:
- Refrigeration and transportation of food
- Industrial processes such as the production of paper, plastic, and aluminum for packaging and the management of food waste.
Animal agriculture produces the highest greenhouse gas emissions. This is partially because the production of animal protein requires extensive farmlands, which are often created by cutting down trees. Trees capture carbon dioxide through a process called carbon sequestration. However, carbon is released from storage back into the atmosphere after deforestation. Animals such as cows and sheep also emit methane as they digest grass and plants. The cattle’s waste on pastures and chemical fertilizers used on animal crops emit nitrous oxide, another powerful greenhouse gas. Shrimp farms often occupy coastal lands formerly covered in mangrove forests, which absorb huge amounts of carbon. The large carbon footprint of shrimp or prawns is mainly due to the stored carbon that is released into the atmosphere when mangroves are cut down to create shrimp farms.
Plant-based foods generally use less energy, land, and water and have lower greenhouse gas intensities than animal-based foods. Some examples of sustainable plant-based foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils. It takes 28 pounds of vegetable protein to produce one pound of beef protein. In this report, The World Resources Institute found that “for people who consume high amounts of meat and dairy, shifting to diets with a greater share of plant-based foods could significantly reduce agriculture’s pressure on the environment.”
Daina Bray and Thomas Poston published an article in the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law entitled The Methane Majors: Climate Change and Animal Agriculture in U.S. Courts. The article presents “a first-of-its-kind comparative survey highlighting the most consequential legal challenges to date” and “explores the present reality and future possibilities of climate change and animal agriculture litigation in the United States.”
Current Deforestation Crisis in the Amazon Rainforest
The most well-known rainforest in the world, the Amazon, has become the victim of harmful environmental practices. The Amazon rainforest is home to nearly 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity (World Wildlife Fund). As the carbon output rate increases exponentially, large forests that store carbon, such as the Amazon, become increasingly crucial to the planet’s survival. In addition to the carbon stored within the Amazon, this rainforest is home to thousands of animal and plant species that are displaced for resources.
Yet, since the 1960s, industries have been ravaging the Amazon. In just the last 20 years, 8% of the rainforest was destroyed, and continuous destruction damages the resilience of the Amazon, according to Sentient Media. As climate change affects the rest of the world, it also causes the Amazon to become drier and, therefore, more vulnerable to rapid wildfire spread. Although this is one obstacle for the Amazon, the bigger problem is the industries operating within the Amazon.
The industries putting the Amazon in danger include, yet are not limited to:
- Cattle ranching
- Small-scale agriculture
- Logging
- Mining
- Infrastructure
Although advocates for reducing destruction in the Amazon rainforest, the issue comes down to a lack of regulation by the nine countries that the Amazon spreads throughout. Illegal activity runs rampant, as no effective organization has been established to resist corporations overtaking the Amazon. In Peru specifically, “systemic failures… have allowed corporations to acquire land unlawfully, deforest without permits, disregard environmental rules, avoid fines and violate community rights,” according to Mongabay.
The deforestation in the Amazon certainly is one of the current crises of this generation. As carbon continues to harm the atmosphere, the abundance of carbon stored in the Amazon is crucial in combating climate change. Although the situation seems bleak, advocacy efforts to increase regulation have started to make an impact, with destruction in the Amazon in 2023 down 55.8% from 2022 levels, according to Reuters. With this hope for the future, further regulations may save the Amazon.
What You Can Do
Do you want to decrease your carbon footprint on the environment? Look no further! Here are some approachable resources to start your journey to sustainability:
Try a Plant-Based Diet
Many people are concerned about taking steps towards a plant-based diet. There are many questions and concerns relating to potential health benefits and protein sources, which we have laid out informative resources from credible sources in this section.
Protein Sources in a Plant-Based Diet
Most Americans equate animal-based foods as the sole source of protein in their diet. Proteins are a collection of amino acids which can be found in a wide variety of foods. Animal-based foods provide high concentrations of amino acids. Still, they also contain unhealthful components, which lead to many of the causes of common diseases in our country, such as cardiac and arterial breakdown, cancer, and diabetes.
Some common plant-based protein sources include nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, tofu, edamame, legumes, and plant-based meat substitutes.
Fiber
Another major feature of plant-based diets is fiber. About 80% of the body’s immune system is the gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The beneficial bacteria in this system feed off dietary fiber found in most plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Surprisingly, there is no fiber in any animal-based food. So, good health is based on a healthy gut microbiome supported by a fiber-rich (plant-based) diet.
Many people’s gut microbiome is lacking this natural bacteria, so much so that consuming dietary fiber causes indigestion. To regain proper digestion ability, people should build up the beneficial bacteria population in their gut by gradually increasing the amount of fiber in their diet.
Recipes
Love Veg supports people starting a plant-based journey by providing delicious recipes from their free “Love Veg” e-book! Their website provides helpful tips for navigating the transition to a plant-based diet.
Another resource is HappyCow, an online database of vegan and vegetarian restaurants worldwide. Their goal is to make healthy food easy to find and more accessible. Click here to find restaurants across the state of Ohio with plant-based meal offerings.
Composting
Composting is a biological process during which naturally occurring microorganisms, bacteria, and insects break down organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and certain kitchen scraps into a soil-like product called compost. It is a form of recycling, a natural way of returning nutrients to the soil while decreasing food waste. Every year, across the world, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is either lost or wasted, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Food Waste Index.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that approximately one-third of municipal solid waste, such as food scraps, paper and paper products, yard trimmings, and wood waste, is compostable, occupying 25% of landfills. Composting is a resourceful way to recycle the food scraps more sustainably. This study found that for every ton of solid food waste left in a landfill, 0.75 tons of CO2 equivalent are created in methane. By composting, you reduce the volume of materials that might otherwise be disposed of in landfills or trash incinerators – leaves, grass clippings, yard trim, and food scraps – and prevent powerful greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere. Check out the U.S. EPA’s guide to composting in your backyard here!
Additional Resources:
Animal Agriculture is the Leading Cause of Climate Change – A Position Paper (Sailesh Rao, 2019)