When people were asked ‘
what do you think is the greatest source of green house gases?’ they answer
with ‘its because of the fumes and gases from vehicles, industries, and because
we leave the lights on and take long showers and waste electricity and water’. These
answers are partly true; these contribute to 13% of global greenhouse gasses. However,
the question has still not been answered because we are forgetting one very
significant factor of global warming, 18% of global greenhouse gases are caused
by livestock farming that is 40% more than all forms of transport (vegansa.com). Factory farming has a larger impact on
global warming than all the vehicles combined. The dairy cow that’s producing
8000 to 1000 liters of milk every year will produce around 500 to 700 liters of
methane every day and methane is 23 times more effective at preventing infrared
radiation from escaping the planet than carbon dioxide. (slate.com) (topdocumentaryfilms.com).
maxandruffys.com claims
that The 70% of grain currently fed to US livestock could feed about 800
million people. 441 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of meat
while only 14 gallons are needed to produce one pound of wheat. Considering
these statistics I believe meat industry is not only harmful for the
environment and nature but it also affects the society and the world.
Meat industry has a huge
impact on global warming. I would like to refer to the documentary ‘Meat the Truth’
from the website topdocumentaryfilms.com. This is a documentary made by The
Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation as known as the NGPF. The NGPF is the scientific
bureau of the Party for the Animals. The world premiere of Meat the Truth was
held on 10th December 2007 in Amsterdam. The international version of the film
premiered in Leicester Square, London on 19th May 2008. This documentary was
made public on YouTube on March 31, 2010. In this documentary the NGPF aims to
perform scientific study and raise public awareness and recognition of social
issues, especially with regards to animal well being, animal rights,
sustainability and nature.
This documentary has
succeeded in drawing public attention towards the issue of global warming and
its very significant factor, livestock and factory farming. The statistics on
greenhouse gas emissions used in the film are derived from and have been
verified by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO). Monique van
Dijk Armor is the producer of this documentary and when asked ‘What inspired
you to undertake this project?’ he answered, ‘We hear about greenhouse gas
emissions caused by cars, trucks, planes and industry, but never about one of
the biggest causes: livestock farming! The information was out there, but the
general public hadn’t heard about it.’ Therefore the NGPF was inspired to make
this documentary to spread awareness regarding this relatively unknown element
of global warming.
The purpose of this
documentary was to inform people of this global issue. Clearly, the NGPF has
reflected on the present issue of global warming. From this documentary we can
tell that the NGPF is against meat industries and factory farming, the NGPF is
encouraging people to become vegans and save the Earth. This documentary is
very relevant to my research question as it talks about how much meat industry
affects global warming. This documentary provides factual data like ‘to make
animal products we need 10 times as much land as we need to produce vegetable
products’ and ‘ ‘in a lifetime, the average European will eat 7 sheep, 24
rabbits, 43 turkeys, 789 fish, third of a horse, 5 cows, 42 pigs and 900
chickens’ and each of these animals have a carbon footprint of their own which
contributes to global warming.
This documentary has not
stated exactly how livestock effects global warming. It does state facts and
data about how much factory farming effects the Earth but how do these animals
release greenhouse gases and what do these greenhouse gases do to the Earth?
Basic information like what is global warming and how greenhouse gases are
related to it are not mentioned. This documentary could also give more
information on why global warming is an important issue and why is it important
to act on it immediately.
Another
source, which agrees with the NGPF, is the WorldWatch Institute. The following
is an extract taken from and article published in World Watch Magazine in July
2004. Lester Brown founded the WorldWatch Institute in 1974 as an independent
research institute devoted to global environmental concerns. WorldWatch Institute
aims to create a better and sustainable world and this website does not
particularly represent any ‘side’ of an argument, instead it supports whatever
is best for the environment. The author of this article is Pete Hodgson, New
Zealand Minister for Energy, Science, and Fisheries.
“Global
warming is driven by energy consumption, to the extent that the principal
energy sources are carbon-rich fuels that, when burned, emit carbon dioxide or
other planet-blanketing gases. As noted above, the production and delivery of
meat helps drive up the use of such fuels. But livestock also emit
global-warming gases directly, as a by- product of digestion. Cattle send a
significant amount of methane, a potent global-warming gas, into the air. The
environmental group Earth Save recommends a major reduction in the world’s
cattle population, which currently numbers about 1.3 billion.
One ton of methane, the
chief agricultural greenhouse gas, has the global warming potential of 23 tons
of carbon dioxide. A dairy cow produces about 75 kilograms of methane a year,
equivalent to over 1.5 [metric] tons of carbon dioxide. The cow, of course, is
only doing what comes naturally. But people are inclined to forget, it seems,
that farming is an industry. We cleared the land, sowed the pasture, bred the
stock, and so on. It’s a human business, not a natural one. We’re pretty good
at it, which is why atmospheric concentrations of methane increased by 150
percent over the past 250 years, while carbon dioxide concentrations increased by
30 percent.”
In this article Hodgson
uses large amounts of detailed facts and figures on how much livestock affects
global warming and how global warming has increased dramatically in the recent
years. From this article we can tell that Pete Hodgson is against meat eating
and is spreading awareness on how our meal affects the environment. Pete
Hodgson has given shocking statistics, which add value to this article as these
numbers take the reader aback. Though this article is very interesting and
detailed, Pete Hodgson has given limited information on what the solution to
this problem could be. The conclusion to this controversy has not been mentioned
in this article.
The previous sources have
indicated how meat industry has a large impact on global warming, however my
next source is going to talk about the opposite. Meat industry has a
small-scale impact on global warming. The following is an article taken from
Meat Trade News Daily presenting arguments for meat industry.
MeatTradeNewsDaily.com is
an E- Newsletter about anything and everything that goes on in and around meat
industry. The Webmaster of this site is William Hayes, an expert in the meat
industry, with over 50 years of experience in trade. He aims to spread information
of what goes inside meat industry. The first news article on this website was
published on Sunday 03 May 2009. This article was published on 07 Nov 2010.
“I've
got news for you vegans -- a new meat missionary is out to convert you all.
Simon Fairlie, author of Meat, a Benign Extravagance, has already turned George
Monbiot, a high-profile English vegan activist. George's vegan retraction
"I was wrong about veganism" is a delicious read for carnivores.
I've had plenty of
arguments with vegan activists who think soy burgers are more environmentally
friendly than grass-fed beef, and frankly, I'm sick of this nonsense. Soy-based
foods and other fake meat products are incredibly processed and come from
environmentally unfriendly monoculture farms. They're a disaster.
But fine, you vegans have a
point about most meat, milk, and egg production being cruel to animals and
inefficient. So how did Fairlie turn George the Vegan?
It's all about which meat
you eat and how it's raised. Fairlie says that small-scale, holistic-minded
farms that raise animals on pastures can actually be very efficient and
earth-friendly -- especially when those animals are eating foods humans don't
eat. Let me count the ways.
1. Pasture-raised pigs can
eat whey (a dairy byproduct), leftovers, and agriculture waste. They turn waste
into food!
2. Cows eat grass and other
"weeds" and they aerate the ground, which helps produce more grass,
which puts more clean oxygen into the atmosphere.
3. Many vegetable oils have
a larger carbon footprint than animal fats.
4. Farm animals on a
well-managed farm can help fertilize crops.
5. Raising livestock the
"slow" way helps us all value our food and farmers more, and
encourages us to eat more carefully.
And by the way, that famous
UN claim that livestock generates 18% of global carbon emissions is wrong; the
report lumped in deforestation from logging and development (not farm-related)
and included other errors.
Keep in mind; Fairlie isn't
advocating a big, fat, carnivore meat fest every day. He only eats meat twice a
week and thinks we could all stand to reduce our consumption. Eating meat less
often is actually how I make eating more expensive pasture-raised meat
affordable. Buying direct from farmers is another way -- yes, you can even do
that in Brooklyn!
And so, I raise my bug-fed
chicken leg in a toast to carnivores everywhere. Let us eat meat -- but
thoughtfully and in moderation.”
This document exists
because William Hayes felt the need to give counter arguments to vegans on how
meat industry is actually good for the environment. This article tells us that livestock
actually helps the environment by consuming waste and weeds. William Hayes also
highlights the fact that ‘many vegetable oils have a larger carbon footprint
than animal fats’ which makes a very sturdy argument and gives the reader
something to think about. This article tells us that William Hayes has strong
opinions for meat industry and believes that it is a great way of supplying
food to the world. William Hayes published this article on his website to make
this piece of information and very interesting data public and visible to the
world to let everyone know that veganism is not a way out of global warming. Through
this article William Hayes has been able to express his feelings on veganism
and meat eating.
Before this article was
published, majority started believing that meat eating is harmful for the
environment and as a result many even turned into vegans. This mass transfer
from carnivores to herbivores affected the meat industry as the sales of meat rapidly
decreased. William Hayes’s industry was affected as well and he posted this
article to display the truth to the world and demonstrate his opinion on how
meat industry actually helps the nature and environment. To make this article
stronger William Hayes could have explained further on how the UN had a false
interpretation of the carbon emissions from livestock. William Hayes could also
mention how global warming should be stopped, if veganism is not the answer
then what is?
Irrespective of being vegan
or a meat eater both have a common understanding that global warming is an
issue, which needs to be attended immediately. Personally I just might never be
able to eat meat but I respect other people’s preferences. However, I would
like to urge everybody to manage his or her food habits responsibly. Since you
have been exposed to both sides of the fence, you can better appreciate the
pros and cons of eating or not eating meat, of course, the choice is your. A
balanced approach which can help this beautiful planet of ours and preserve it
for the coming generations.
Three
Main Sources-
"Meat the Truth."
Top Documentary Films RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/meat-the-truth/>.
"Is Meat
Sustainable?" Worldwatch Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.worldwatch.org/node/549>.
"UK - Meat Industry
Good for Environment." UK - Meat Industry Good for Environment.
N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/021110/uk___meat_industry_good_for_environment_.aspx>.
Other
Sources-
"A New Convert for New
Reasons." Veganism. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.vegansa.com/veganism-and-the-environment.php>.
Koerner, Brendan. "The
Other Greenhouse Gases." Slate.com. N.p., 27 Nov. 2007. Web.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2007/11/the_other_greenhouse_gases.html>.
"Environmental Impacts
of the Meat Industry." Max and Ruffys RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov.
2012.
<http://maxandruffys.com/environmental-impacts-of-the-meat-industry/>.
"About the Film."
« Meat The Truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
"About the Film."
« Meat The Truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.meatthetruth.nl/en/about-the-film/>.
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