Meat is just one thing most Americans can’t seem to get enough of. It is said that Americans alone eat about twice the amount of protein each day that is recommended by federal government, and the majority of this protein comes from animal protein. However, humans could actually sustain themselves off of only one fourth of our daily intake. Eating meat has not only become an issue to human health, but to our environment as well.
When we choose meat, we choose to make many sacrifices relating to our environment. According to The World Watch Institute, 70% of the planet's agricultural land is intended for pasture that will be used to feed the animals we eat. These grasses are obtained mainly by cutting down precious forests. Destroying forests over time has caused endangering and even extinction of species, but a decrease in oxygen production from the rich forests of our Earth. Replacing these valuable places with pastures that release greenhouse gases into our atmosphere is a direct cause of climate change.
We are using a great portion of this destroyed land to grow the grains to feed our animals, but this is very inefficient. Livestock cannot naturally digest grains properly; they are supposed to eat grass. This means that more grain (in terms of calories) is required to feed livestock, when much less could be used to feed starving populations of humans.
The fertilizers we use on the grains grown for feedlots are very dangerous for our environment. These fertilizers that contain nitrogen and phosphorus can leach into the ground and eventually into our water systems through tiny holes in the soil called macropores. Contamination of our water with nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms in nearby lakes and streams, which uptake most of the available oxygen in the water. This kills off many other organisms such as fish and natural plants that are in the water, because they do not have access to ample amounts of oxygen to survive. This could cause endangerment of species and a decrease in biodiversity of large areas. Additionally, this makes the contaminated water unsafe for human consumption.
Not only do we waste space when we raise livestock for consumption, we waste resources and energy. Producing meats, especially beef and pork, takes tremendous amounts of water. Many places around the world, including places close to home like Flint, Michigan, are lacking access to clean water. Using most of our available water to raise livestock is wasteful and could be used in places where it is needed much more.
Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone should drop meat out of his or her diets for good. It isn’t an ethical requirement to stay away from eating meat. If we turn to eating meat less, even just one or two meals a week, it could make all the difference. If everyone in the US decided to avoid meat just one day a week for a year, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road (Environmental Working Group).
Eating less meat would not have a negative impact on our health. Many worry about not consuming enough protein if they do not eat meat. However, plenty of protein is available from entirely plant-based foods such as lentils, quinoa, seeds, nuts, beans, potatoes, spinach, corn, avocados, and so on. The list of possible protein sources from plants goes on and on.
There are really no excuses to make about eating the amount of meat that we do, besides personal preference and sense of ‘royalty’ when eating pricey meats. Eating meat in some cultures may be a privilege, but as Americans we are taking advantage of this without considering the lasting effects.
Saving energy, water, land, and other resources could be vital to our developing planet. With global populations predicted to increase significantly in the next 40 years, we need to make some adjustments. These can be slight, but will still make all the difference. Could you imagine a world where many of the animals we know of, some of our beautiful rainforests, and natural land do not exist? Looks like it’s about time for America to wake up and smell the bacon, or veggie bacon.
When we choose meat, we choose to make many sacrifices relating to our environment. According to The World Watch Institute, 70% of the planet's agricultural land is intended for pasture that will be used to feed the animals we eat. These grasses are obtained mainly by cutting down precious forests. Destroying forests over time has caused endangering and even extinction of species, but a decrease in oxygen production from the rich forests of our Earth. Replacing these valuable places with pastures that release greenhouse gases into our atmosphere is a direct cause of climate change.
We are using a great portion of this destroyed land to grow the grains to feed our animals, but this is very inefficient. Livestock cannot naturally digest grains properly; they are supposed to eat grass. This means that more grain (in terms of calories) is required to feed livestock, when much less could be used to feed starving populations of humans.
The fertilizers we use on the grains grown for feedlots are very dangerous for our environment. These fertilizers that contain nitrogen and phosphorus can leach into the ground and eventually into our water systems through tiny holes in the soil called macropores. Contamination of our water with nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms in nearby lakes and streams, which uptake most of the available oxygen in the water. This kills off many other organisms such as fish and natural plants that are in the water, because they do not have access to ample amounts of oxygen to survive. This could cause endangerment of species and a decrease in biodiversity of large areas. Additionally, this makes the contaminated water unsafe for human consumption.
Not only do we waste space when we raise livestock for consumption, we waste resources and energy. Producing meats, especially beef and pork, takes tremendous amounts of water. Many places around the world, including places close to home like Flint, Michigan, are lacking access to clean water. Using most of our available water to raise livestock is wasteful and could be used in places where it is needed much more.
Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone should drop meat out of his or her diets for good. It isn’t an ethical requirement to stay away from eating meat. If we turn to eating meat less, even just one or two meals a week, it could make all the difference. If everyone in the US decided to avoid meat just one day a week for a year, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road (Environmental Working Group).
Eating less meat would not have a negative impact on our health. Many worry about not consuming enough protein if they do not eat meat. However, plenty of protein is available from entirely plant-based foods such as lentils, quinoa, seeds, nuts, beans, potatoes, spinach, corn, avocados, and so on. The list of possible protein sources from plants goes on and on.
There are really no excuses to make about eating the amount of meat that we do, besides personal preference and sense of ‘royalty’ when eating pricey meats. Eating meat in some cultures may be a privilege, but as Americans we are taking advantage of this without considering the lasting effects.
Saving energy, water, land, and other resources could be vital to our developing planet. With global populations predicted to increase significantly in the next 40 years, we need to make some adjustments. These can be slight, but will still make all the difference. Could you imagine a world where many of the animals we know of, some of our beautiful rainforests, and natural land do not exist? Looks like it’s about time for America to wake up and smell the bacon, or veggie bacon.