In the year 2008, approximately 56 billion land animals were slaughtered for human consumption. If population and meat consumption continue to increase at the current rates, this number is expected to double by the year 2050. That is an alarming 112 billion  animal lives in one year. The agriculture industry accounts for 18-22 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and of this 80 percent is directly linked to livestock production.

To put this in perspective, this is a larger percentage than the transportation industry

Western countries follow diets which are heavily based in meats and animal products, and many people are unaware of the impacts their diets have on the planet as a whole. Often times when I hear people talk about sustainability and going green they only refer to things such as recycling and using recycled products, riding bicycles instead of taking dirty methods of transportation, buying local produce, and many others, and while we should all participate in these activities to help reduce our carbon footprints, rarely do I hear someone talk about how eliminating/reducing meat consumption can drastically lower one’s carbon footprint.

We live in a world where we face issues of water shortages, desertification, deforestation and climate change, and the production of meat is closely related to all of these issues. To produce one pound of meat takes more than 2,400 gallons of water; to produce one pound of wheat takes only 25 gallons. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, “you save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months!” It is possible that future wars of the world will be fought over something as basic as water, and I believe it is time for some kind of policy to be implemented to regulate animal feeding operations, the amount of meat that is produced and the amount that people are able to consume.

Controlled Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. CAFOs contribute to issues of climate change, they contaminate water systems and cause desertification. CAFOs also produce between 1.2 billion and 1.37 billion tons of waste per year. Nutrient rich runoff including antibiotics, chemicals, fertilizers, and various hormones pollute water systems which in turn speed up algal blooming. This cultural eutrophication process causes hypoxia (lack of oxygen), which then creates dead zones in water and threatens marine biodiversity. Another astounding number which is a result of the livestock sector is that 26 percent of earth’s terrestrial surface is used for grazing.

Currently, there are no policy regulations for the wastes, emissions, and destruction of land that are directly caused by CAFOs, and this needs to change. Climate change is an issue of today and not tomorrow, and if our population continues to consume animals and animal products the way it has, some sort of regulation needs to be set in place in order to help sustain our planet. Although cap and trade methods are not the most ideal way to solve environmental problems, a good way to raise awareness on issues of waste from CAFOs would be to instill some kind of cap and trade program on pollutants coming from these CAFOs and livestock production facilities. A program like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative could work in order to provide economic incentives for companies to pollute less and in the long run incrementally reduce emissions from this sector.

Programs such as Meatless Monday could also continue to be implemented in schools across the country to continue raising awareness among youth on healthy plant-based diets and the environmental benefits of these diets.

I have followed a vegetarian and now vegan diet for the past six years of my life, and while originally my motivation was, and still continues to be, the respect I have for another living creature’s life, one of the main reasons I continue to follow this lifestyle is how much more sustainable it is for the planet. I am not trying to advocate for everyone to become a vegetarian, but I do believe it is important to know where your food is coming from and to be aware of the consequences it has on the planet and all its inhabitants.