Studies have shown that grass-fed cows generate less greenhouse gas emissions
Jennifer Tehraud
People might think that if you
are a vegan, your nutritional philosophy is based on religious, ethical or
health-related motives. But actually, people are also turning to veganism
because they are aware of the fact that livestock production generates
approximately one fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases, with which it outruns
transportation. This was discovered by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture
Organization. In other words, the production of 1kg of beef results in more CO²
emissions than driving the car for three hours while leaving all the lights on
at home, according to scientists. What kind of influence does livestock production
have on the environment? - Methane is released through the belching of cattle: Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and its capacity to trap heat in the atmosphere is 21 times great than that of CO².
- Fertilizing compounds such as sulphur dioxide and phosphate destroy ecosystems in rivers and lakes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture in the U.S. contributes to approximately ¾ of all water-quality problems in rivers and streams. Farm facilities often resemble prisons and are located hundreds of miles away from major cities. Their manure pollutes rivers and our valuable groundwater. In the state of Iowa, hog factories and farms produce more than 50 million tons of excrement annually.
- The livestock and the food needs to be transported which causes further emissions.
- The livestock is fed with soy which requires cutting down the rainforest to make room for cultivating it in order to be able to export the demanded quantities to feed the thousands of cows and pigs slaughtered daily.
