Every day, I am bombarded with subliminal messages from advertisers, lawyers, marketing professionals, etc. I can't watch television, surf the Internet, or even buy a cup of coffee without hearing advertisements that scream for my attention. Why? In American culture (I don't know about everywhere else), consumption is omnipresent. Some of the loudest messages I hear are food advertisements. It's not enough that the United States is known as home to some of the world's biggest people, but Americans are continuously encouraged to eat.
Not only is consumption causing a water shortage in the United States, but our meat consumption is estimated to be about twice the global average. According to a recent New York Times article, the global demand for meat has multiplied in recent years. This growth has made it necessary for the proliferation of massive, confined animal feeding operations. Meat factories leave a large carbon footprint as they consume huge amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate greenhouse gases, and require the growing of more grains.
The impact of America's grain dependency has led to the destruction of large amounts of the world's tropical rain forests. Last week, the President of Brazil instituted an emergency halt on cutting and burning in that South American nation's rain forests. According to the Brazilian government, 1,250 square miles of rain forest were destroyed for crop and grazing land in only five months. Brazil is not alone in recognizing the ill effects of our grain dependency. "The environmental impact of growing so much grain for animal feed is profound," warns the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "Agriculture in the United States — much of which now serves the demand for meat — contributes to nearly three-quarters of all water-quality problems in the nation's rivers and streams."
In 1961, the world's total meat supply was estimated at 71 million tons. In 2007, that same supply was estimated at 284 million tons, and meat consumption is expected to double again by the year 2050. Last year, the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science of Japan conducted a study of carbon dioxide emissions from beef. The study concluded that raising about 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for producing the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions from the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for about 20 days. These facts don't even address the emissions from transporting livestock and sending packaged beef to market.
But I love Hamburgers! What Can We Do?
As meat consumption increases, so do the prices. Nevertheless, higher prices are not expected to reduce consumption. So what do we do? There are alternatives besides worldwide vegetarianism, of course, but none are an easy fix. One solution is to improve farming practices and waste management. In Israel and Korea, experiments are being conducted to see if animal waste can be converted into electricity. Similarly, in the United States, large hog operations are also aiming and partially succeeding at converting hog manure into fuel.
Another suggestion is that we return to the days of grazing beef; however, this would mean less beef available. Michael Pollan, author of "In Defense of Food", says "In places where you can't grow grain, fattening cows on grass is always going to make more sense". Grazing cows may not produce as much meat, but this approach is something that can be done locally. Before the massive meat factories, meat was (and still is to an extent) raised by local farmers. Returning to this local approach would cut emissions from transportation, and would less energy than running a factory.
What many people don't know is how meat factories run. I've heard and read some horror stories about the real costs of the meat industry. As a result, I even tried vegetarianism for awhile. We've come a long way since Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, but animal welfare and the cleanliness of industrial meat production might still make you cringe.
Resources:
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19526134.500-meat-is-murder-on-the-environment.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=1&em&ex=1201928400&en=ad89b01e3854c802&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1670
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