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Environmental impact of meat production

Meat is an essential source of nutrition for most people in the world. It is also considered that meat is a good source of protein. The global demand for meat has increased over the last 50 years, and meat production has tripled. Annually, the whole meat production industry produces more than 340 million tonnes of meat products. The global meat industry is a business of billions of dollars. It helps the exporters of meat to earn a substantial amount of money. However, there is a heavy toll of problems on the environment. The global meat industry leaves a trail of destruction in terms of human rights abuses, forest fires, climate change, loss of biodiversity etc. (Watts, 2019)

As per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (I.P.C.C.) Assessment Reports, meat production is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. More than 18% of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide is because of livestock farming (Neel,1980). This is more than combined emission from cars, planes, ships and all other means of transport. Along with this, a tremendous amount of land is required for the industrial meat industry to sustain itself. In order to feed billions of farmed animals and graze cattle, forests are burned every year, leading to a massive loss of biodiversity. As per the 2006 F.A.O.'s (Food and Agriculture Organization) report 'Livestock's Long Shadow', water pollution is caused to a significant extent by meat production. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,2020)

Growth in production and consumption
The rapid growth of the population caused rapid growth in demand for meat. It has undergone rapid growth, especially after the 1950s; Meat production has also increased rapidly over the past 50 years. The total production has increased by four times since 1961. In the coming decades, it will be one of the most concerning challenges of humanity to feed the world sustainably. Meat is considered an essential source of protein. (Aden, 2020). As such, the demand for meat has been increasing across the globe: meat production has more than tripled over the past 50 years. More than 350 million tonnes of meat is produced annually in the world. From 1980 to 2005, meat production has doubled. It has been aided by the increase in people's income levels and the lowering of the cost of meat production by the scale of economics. Moreover, high-income countries have the highest meat consumption, where the most prominent meat consumer is Australia, consuming around 116 kilograms per person in 2013. (Friel, S, 2011) The European and North American countries consume about 80 kilograms and more than 110 kilograms, respectively. However, the growth of consumption has been much slower in high-income countries. It remains steady or even decreased over the last 50 year (Petrovic, Djordjevic, Milicevic, Nastasijevic & Parunovic, 2015)

Soil Erosion
The meat production industry is responsible for 85% of soil erosion in the world. Even though soil erosion is a naturally occurring process, it has become more severe due to improper and unsustainable over-grazing in the livestock ranching sector. Soil erosion is enhanced when meadows are indulged in extensive grazing without enough recovery periods. (Christopher L. Weber, H. Scott Matthews, 2008)

Besides, if uncontrolled livestock grazes the same field, their hooves can cause damage to the soil structure as surface vegetation is easily removed from the land by livestock. Furthermore, when the soil becomes exposed to water and wind, they have swept away quickly. Hence, Intensive livestock production requires large quantities of harvested feed, as these animals are without the land having time to recover. (H. Steinfeld; P. Gerber; T. Wassenaar; V. Castel; M. Rosales; C. de Haan;, 2006)

Deforestation
Because the industrial meat industry needs so much land to support itself, it's causing widespread deforestation. A billion farmed animals each year in South America need to be fed, therefore they are purposely set on fire and cut down each year to be fattened up for herding. (Karsenty, 2015)

As the supply of arable lands and fertile soil decline due to soil erosion and overgrazing motivates meat production industry companies to clear-cut the tropical rainforests, Amazon Rainforest in Brazil is one typical example. It provides an ideal environment for cattle ranching and industrialised livestock production as it provides flat land and fertile soil. However, as forests are being cleared rapidly, the ground loses protection from cover and root from the canopy layer, which triggers soil erosion. Also, deforestation destroys the habitats of many plants and wild animals, resulting in a decrease in biodiversity. Additionally, the potential carbon that trees absorb and store decreases; carbon dioxide is then released back to the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. (Hanna L. Tuomisto, M. Joost Teixeira de Mattos, 2011)

Water Pollution
To grow crops to feed animals and give animals water to drink, an enormous amount of water is required. To produce just 1 gallon of milk, around 700 gallons of water is consumed. In the case of one pound of beef production, about 2500 gallons of water is used. It is estimated that approximately 225000 gallons of water can be saved annually if a person goes vegan. More than 30% of the Earth's land surface is used for livestock farming. It represents very insufficient use of resources as land and water are scarce in many parts of the world (Atapattu, 2011). Moreover, producing one kilogram of beef requires 25 kilograms of grain to feed the livestock and approximately 15,000 Litres of water. Furthermore, crop fields are applied with fertilisers that contain toxic chemicals. If it's sprayed outside the farm field, the contaminated water is leaked into open lagoons. When there is flooding or leakage due to faults, it releases harmful substances like antibiotics, bacteria, pesticides, and heavy metals into the surrounding aquatic environment. (Sauer et al., 1999) Cattle ranching produces about 500 million tons of animal waste annually. Without proper animal sewage treatment facilities in the factory farms, animal waste is most often stored in waste "lagoons". They can carry bacteria and viruses and will contaminate the surrounding area when the water level rises. When animal waste decomposes, it releases methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming. (Z. Petrovic, V. Djordjevic, D. Milicevic,, 2015)

Furthermore, Eutrophication can occur when fertilizer, untreated sewage, phosphorus-containing detergents, and industrial waste discharges are washed into waterbodies. It happens when the availability of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in an environment inhibits the growth of plant life. The growth of algae, plankton, and other basic plant life is favored over the growth of more sophisticated plant life when water bodies are too loaded with these nutrients. It is regarded as a severe environmental hazard since it frequently leads to degradation of water quality and dissolved oxygen depletion in bodies of water. Eutrophic waterways can ultimately form "dead zones" that are harmful to humans.It is regarded as a severe environmental hazard since it frequently leads to degradation of water quality and dissolved oxygen depletion in bodies of water. Eutrophic waters can ultimately turn into "dead zones" that couldn't support life. (Karydis, 2020)

Harm to marine life
Fish meat is an essential source of protein for people living in coastal areas. It is also considered a source of protein for poor people. For example, people residing in coastal regions frequently have fish meat in their diet. However, commercial fishing methods such as long-lining and bottom trawling clear the ocean floor of marine life. It also leads to the destruction of coral reefs. Massive numbers of sharks, sea turtles, dolphins and other sea animals are also killed. Furthermore, parasites, antibiotics, and faeces are released into marine ecosystems by the coastal fish farms. In addition, most of the farmed fishes are fed massive quantities of wild-caught fish, as the former are carnivorous. (Carlton, 2010).

Climate change
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations finds that beef production is one of the contributing factors to intensify climate change. (FAO,2020). The environmental footprint of meat production is very vast. More than 18% of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide is because of livestock farming. This is more than combined emission from cars, planes, ships and all other means of transport. As per I.P.C.C. Assessment Report, if greenhouse gases continue to increase in the atmosphere at the current pace, there would be more than a 3 degree Celsius change in average global temperature compared to the pre-industrial level by the end of the 21st century (Pradeep, 2015).

Farm animals globally are causing adverse impact on the environment by burping and farting out immense amounts of greenhouse gas. Animal agriculture for meat production is accountable for producing the equivalent of 7.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide annually, which is (14.5%) of total greenhouse gas emissions. This is greater than the sum of cars, planes, and other forms of transport together. Cows belch approximately every 90 seconds, 95% of the greenhouse gas produced by cows is from belching,1.41 trillion methane-rich cow burps are being released into the environment daily, methane is proved to be 100 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide ( J. Poore, 2018)

Besides, the greenhouse gases emission is not only from cattle ranching itself. The entire process of raising and butchering animals includes producing fertiliser for crops to feed animals, burning fossil fuel to operate the trucks and machines to transport them to the butchering section, and electricity required to freeze the meat products consumes a massive amount of fossil fuels. As a result, vast amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into our atmosphere. Apart from greenhouse gases, other products are also released in the process of meat production, e.g. dust particulate matter, hydrogen sulphide, etc. These are associated with various health issues like Asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases (Wood, 2011)

Human and animal right abuses
In order to get huge profits from meat production, prominent market players and capitalists resort to all kinds of power and influence to displace indigenous people and traditional communities who have been living in the forest areas for centuries. As such, they are deprived of their homes to which they are emotionally connected. These people are not skilled enough to work in other areas. As such, after displacement, they face deprivation, marginalisation, etc. Their children have to suffer many adversities. The rights of such people are crushed under the big ambitions of influential people. For example, gerai zeira communities in Brazil are fighting at the frontline to protect forests. Greenpeace Brazil investigated this matter and found that members of the traditional geraizeira communities were shot, detained and harassed by security forces working for Soya producer Agronegocio Estrondo. (Unearthed-Green Peace,2020) Apart from this, the animals are slaughtered and butchered fiercely and ruthlessly. They are inflicted upon a vast quantity of pain and sufferings. They are caged in very tight spaces. They cannot show or tell their pain to anyone. It is very unethical and immoral to carry on slaughtering animals to meet their taste buds' requirements. (People For the Ethical Treatment of amimals, 2021)

The positive impact on the environment
On the other hand, animal waste can act as a fertiliser to revitalise farmland. It can improve aggregation, therefore, the structure of the soil. The soil can store more nutrients and water and thus increase its fertility. Animal waste also enhances soil microbial activity, which promotes the soil's mineral supply, improves fertility. Manure also contains nitrogen and nutrients that benefit the growth of plants. (T. Nemecek, J. Poore, 2018)

Another positive impact of the meat production industry is the ability of cattle to convert energy for people. Cattle consume herbs and plants that humans could not swallow and digest. Thus, it is a sustainable way to transfer unusable energy into calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals by producing meat. Cattle Ranching can also reduce the natural emissions of nitrous oxide of farmland; it is a greenhouse gas that scientists claim is more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. (meatscience.org, 2021)