STRONGLY TIED TO THE PRACTICES OF ANIMALAGRICULTURE ARE ISSUES RELATING TO
AIR AND WATER
POLLUTION/CONTAMINATION
SPECIES
EXTINCTION
WASTE
GENERATION
AND ITS
IMPROPER
DISPOSAL
OVER-USE
OF
FOSSIL FUELS
WATER
LAND
RESOURCES
WORLD
HUNGER
PUBLIC
HEALTH
AND
DISEASE
OVER-FISHING
DEFORESTATION
Taking control of one’s
is a
direct way to
eating habits
stop
one’s
contribution to the great
environmental injustices that
are occurring.
The demand for meat contributes to most of
the deforestation that occurs in the world, and
animal agriculture is the single
largest anthropocentric
use of land. It accounts for 2/3
of all agricultural land, with grazing lands
35%
alone, comprising
of the total U.S.
land area (Lubowski 2009).
In the United States, livestock
consumes more than 7
times as much grain as the
entire population
of America (Pimentel
2003).
The amount of grains U.S. livestock
consumes is enough to feed
a plantbased diet to 840 million people
(Pimentel 2003).
The lack of property rights to the rightful owner, i.e. the animal, is the
first injustice that allows for the multitude of environmental
problems to transpire.
The exploitation
of animals will
almost always lead to the
exploitation of the
environment
Animal products’ price does not reflect it true
cost. The negative externalities
that are borne by the environment, animals,
and human health are not incorporated into
the price, and therefore make animal products
seemingly cheap.
The US EPA states that runoff
of chemicals, silts, and animals’
wastes from farming practices pollute nearly 70% of America’s
rivers and streams (Horrigan 2002).
The US Federal Register found that 85% of
threatened/endangered species in the US is because of
habitat loss (Cafaro 2006). The leading cause of
habitat loss in America is from agriculture. Agriculture
entails largely livestock operations and
feed crops; very little in relation is used to supply
humans with plant-based foods
“It is estimated that
due to industrialized
fishing, large predatory fish biomass today is only
about
2004).
10% of pre-industrial levels” (York
Tuna- Open Up a Can of Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5myrRfmzYk
Every Step Counts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYfR5YZAeWE
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
estimates, that 18%
of worldwide greenhouse gas
emissions are attributable to livestock. This estimate
51% of
annual worldwide greenhouse gas
emissions, mainly due to the overlooked respiration of
however is even believed to be as much as
livestock, overlooked land use contributions, uncounted methane,
and other misallocations (Goodland 2009) of the FAO findings.
This places the livestock
higher
contributor to
sector as a
greenhouse gas emissions
than the total
transportation
sector (Steinfeld 2006).
2/3 of all
water use worldwide
Animal agriculture accounts for
(Horrigan 2002).
Beef production requires large volumes of
water, as much as 100
times that required
to produce equivalent amounts of protein
energy from grains” (Horrigan 2002).
For most animals, they are
unable to breathe fresh air, feel
the soil beneath their feet, or
engage in healthy social
interaction with members of its
own species. These animals are
treated with an unsettling
viewed
solely as objects
disregard,
to be disposed of once their
marginalized purpose is fulfilled.
One of the greatest
environmental injustices is
the placement of animalagricultural facilities,
especially confined animal
feeding operations (CAFOs).
The location
of
CAFOs are largely near
populations with the
lowest political
influence, lowest
income, and those
who are
institutionally
discriminated
against based on
race (Donham 2007).
Chronic diseases and illnesses
are becoming ever more prevalent as
people eat more animal-
derived foods.
In 2005, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued
a report on the effectiveness of US EPA efforts in meeting
its obligations to regulate CAFOs (Donham 2007). EPA
allowed an estimated 60%
of CAFOs to go
unregulated (Donham 2007).
The high saturated fat
content and cholesterol
found in animal-sourced
food, including its lack of
fiber, antioxidants,
vitamins, and minerals, is
causing many people to
fall prey to cardiovascular
disease, obesity, diabetes,
and cancer
Strangely, there are
actually laws enacted
that restrict
citizens from
speaking freely
about animal
agriculture if it has a
negative
connotation; 13
sates passed laws of this
sort (Donham 2007).
Over half
Throughout the world, the creation of
grazing lands for cattle is responsible
for most deforestation. Case examples
include the highly
diverse
tropical ecosystems of
Colombia, Brazilian Amazon, and
Queensland, Australia. In the Brazilian
Amazon,
80% of
deforestation is attributable
to the cattle
sector.
of the world’s plant and animal species are found in
forests, and the destruction of the forests critically endangers the
Deforestation
preservation of biodiversity.
is causing many endemic
species to go extinct for their habitat is completely destroyed.
In the Brazilian Amazon, the recent years’
average is a loss of
one hectare of rainforests every 18 seconds to
cattle ranchers (Greenpeace International 2009)
In Queensland, Australia and other regions of Australia, there is
growing evidence that deforestation is
impacting the regional climate
(McAlpine 2009). Warmer and drier conditions are the result,
and it is seen that “the clearing of native forests for cattle
pastures is exacerbating the impact of drought on
Australia’s natural resources and ecosystems” (McAlpine 2009).
Animal waste,
by-catch, chemicals from
tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used to spray feed
crops are the chief causes of pollution in
bodies of water (Walker 2005).
“For instance, since a pig produces about four times as much solid waste as
an average person, a
typical CAFO of 5000 pigs is
equivalent to a small city of 20,000 people with no
sewage treatment plant” (Walker 2005).
“These wastes, most of which go
Organic animal wastes, feed, feathers, heavy metals,
hormones, antibiotics, pathogens, and ammonia are the main
pollutants dispensed into the environment from these
operations (Walker 2005). These have been associated with
the evolution of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, growth
restriction of desirable aquatic plant life that protects against
disease-causing microorganisms, hormone-related changes in
fish, and outbreaks of microbes such as Pfiesteria piscidia.
These operations also reduce oxygen levels in some waters—
killing fish and other marine life, place unbearable conditions
and disease upon the animals confined, and impair some of
the human utilized sources of water—threatening human
health (Walker 2005).
untreated, contain high
concentrations of
nitrogen, phosphorous, and
potassium compounds and
traces of metal and antibiotics;
these represent a serious
public health
concern” (Marlow 2009).
Livestock is fed roughly 40% of the world’s grain
this would be enough to
supply, and
combat world
half of
hunger
(Leitzmann 2003).
Meat production
requires as much as
“Depending on the type of animals raised,
3-16 lbs of
plant food to get 1 lb of meat
10
times the quantity of
farmers have to feed them
resources, land,
energy, and water
or other animal product” (Cafaro 2006)
than what is needed to
produce the protein
equivalent in vegan foods
(York 2004).
Despite how overwhelming the environmental problems animal
agriculture encompasses,
there are solutions…
Possibly the greatest
effect one can
reducing one’s
intake of animalderived foods.
have is
Demand is what fuels this industry and thus supports the
environmentally destructive practices.
A plant-based
diet is a solution that can satisfy
all nutritional needs, as well as prevent and
reverse many chronic diseases that face
affluent countries, whose diets are largely dependent
upon animal sources.
These animals are
A vegan lifestyle tries, to the
fullest extent possible, to
reduce the consumption
of animal-sourced foods
and products, thus
decreasing the
suffering of
sentient
creatures.
extremely
exploited, and by stopping to support the entities
that exploit animals, it is stopping the
committed against the
crimes
earth and all the
earthlings that are highly vulnerable to animal agricultural
practices.
Sustainable agriculture can
play a crucial role in changing consumption
patterns towards a more plant-based
foundation.
Sustainable agriculture is
known to be
“ecologically
sound,
economically viable,
socially just,
culturally
appropriate, and
based on a holistic
scientific approach”
(Horrigan 2002).
This translates directly to the
It is expected that the consumption of
continuity of stripping
animal-derived foods is expected to
natural resources at
double by 2050 (Ilea 2005).
an unsustainable
rate,
more
deforestation,
The U.S. government must take
leadership over this matter in order to
protect the environment and to
further create global
agreements to
protect climate, stop
deforestation, and protect
biodiversity (Greenpeace
International 2009).
more energy and
water use towards a
morally
degrading,
cruel practice
that is destroying
the
environment.
World hunger already exists, as 3 billion people are malnourished, with
millions starving, because 2 billion people primarily live on
an animal centered diet (Pimentel 2003)
Animal agriculture is an
unsustainable practice, it creates
massive degradation to the environment,
significantly contributes to global climate
change, places increased stress on the
global food supply, but is also
outstripping resources faster
than the environment can
replenish them.
The unsettling
reality of animal agriculture is
real, and is a focus that needs attention,
especially on a moral and environmental level.
The act of eating holds more power
than most understand.
Transitioning towards a plant-based diet, propelled
by sustainable, organic agricultural practices can
have profound benefits to the ecological
health of the earth, humanity’s vitality; in
liberating animals from
the preventable pain and
suffering induced by humanity
addition to,
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