1United Nations, “Rearing Cattle Produces More Greenhouse Gases Than Driving Cars, UN Report Warns,” UN News, 29 Nov. 2006. Facts and Fiction on Livestock and Climate Change As the November 2015 Global Climate Change Conference COP21 concluded in Paris, 196 countries reached agreement on the reduction of fossil fuel use and emissions in the production and consumption of energy, even to the extent of potentially phasing out fossil fuels out entirely. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. For example. Climate change Wildlife Energy ... the latest year for which accurate data is available from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, livestock on EU … As is the case with animal agriculture’s impacts on soil, water, and air quality, the sector’s contributions to climate change cannot be viewed in a vacuum. As a result, expert groups like the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are warning the public that meat and dairy consumption must be drastically reduced in order to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change on our planet and our health.9. In summer 2003, record-high temperatures in Europe resulted in the deaths of at least 30,000 people.10 Climate change is also increasing the prevalence of allergens, both because of increased air pollution and because higher temperatures and CO2 levels can cause shifts in flowering time and pollen initiation.11 This can trigger respiratory allergies, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. Agriculture contributes towards climate change through anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and by the conversion of non-agricultural land such as forests into agricultural land. The carbon dioxide equivalent is a standard unit used to account for the global warming potenti… How Does Animal Agriculture Cause Climate Change? Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture while questioning the morality our dominion over the animal kingdom. This occurred through manure management and enteric fermentation (a process that describes the digestion of feed by ruminant animals). Dairy is Scary Erin Janus exposes the truth about the dark d airy industry and the cruelty that goes on in five powerful minutes. 12A.J. If we want to preserve our planet, we need stronger regulations to reduce future effects of increasing global temperatures. The role of animal agriculture in climate change. Animal Agriculture and Climate Change - 4.03k Followers, 1 Following, 537 pins | Animal Agriculture is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gases, more so than all fossil-fueled transport. 14CDC, “Climate and Health: Climate Effects on Health,” 20 July 2020. Moreover, animal agriculture is a leading source of other greenhouse gases. 15Renee Cho, “How Climate Change Is Exacerbating the Spread of Disease,” Earth Institute, Columbia University, 4 Sep. 2014. Today, the average American farmer is able to feed about 144 people worldwide. 2Marco Springmann, et al., “Options for Keeping the Food System Within Environmental Limits,” Nature, 562.7728 (2018): 519–525. 5Alejandra Borunda, “Methane, Explained,” National Geographic, 23 Jan. 2019. 11Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Climate and Health: Allergens,” 18 June 2019. These are just some of the ways animal agriculture and the resulting climate change can harm human health and exacerbate the risk of pandemics like COVID-19. However, it’s difficult to answer the question of how much we really impact the changes we witness. The need to expand pasture land and land for growing feedcrops has a terrible impact on the world’s forests. According to a 2008 study, a meat-eater’s diet causes more than seven times as much GHG emissions as a vegan’s diet. In the United States, we rely heavily on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to supply us with GHG data. By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us. 13Chufei Tang, et al., “Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Promoted Speciation in Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae),” Communications Biology, 1 (2018): 182. We are on a mission to create awareness for this. Short Course: Basic Climate Science. Animal husbandry also contributes towards climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Learn Why Offering Vegan Food Is Smart Business. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service—in conjunction with five partner Land Grant Institutions—is a part of a 5‐year project to address issues related to climate change and animal agriculture. Methane from cattle is shorter lived than carbon dioxide but 28 times more potent in warming the atmosphere, said Mitloehner, a professor and air quality specialist in the Department of Animal Science. 6U.S. Copyright 2018 by Green and Growing. | Powered by WordPress. However, grazing animals on this land doubles the area that can be used to grow food. By 2050, consumption of meat and dairy prod… PETA Rapid Action: Urge Officials to Close Live-Animal Markets NOW, URGENT: Sign the Petition to Shut Down Live-Animal Meat Markets, The Organic, ‘Free-Range,’ and ‘Humane Meat’ Myths, iy_2021; im_01; id_27; ih_09; imh_55; i_epoch:1611770112380, py_2020; pm_10; pd_28; ph_11; pmh_03; p_epoch:1603908213586, link-block; link-block_link-block; bodystr, pn_tstr:Wed Oct 28 11:03:33 PST 2020; pn_epoch:1603908213586, https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/animal-agriculture-and-climate-change/. Ruminant animals, such as cattle, produce methane, which is roughly 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. There is no pathway to achieve the Paris climate objectives without a massive decrease in the scale of animal agriculture, they added. Climate change is primarily caused by an increase in levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of anthropogenic (human-caused) activities. Facts about Animal Agriculture and Climate Change. These include the ability to produce feed-grain, the quality of pastures and forage crop production, animal health, growth, and reproduction, and disease and pest distributions. One thing is certain: Animal agriculture definitely has a role to play in it. "Costs and Consequences: The Real Price of Livestock Grazing on America's Public Lands". However, efforts are underway to identify all major sources of GHGs to determine strategies aimed at reducing these emissions. Thankfully, methane only remains in the atmosphere for 12 years. We all have a responsibility to take action to reduce our carbon footprints, and the best way to do that is by ending our support of animal agriculture and going vegan. This statistic is true. Climate change poses various health risks, including an increase in both chronic and infectious diseases. Because methane has such a short half-life, drastic emission reductions could help us undo significant amounts of damage. 10Umair Irfan, “113 Degrees in France: Why Europe Is So Vulnerable to Extreme Heat,” Vox, 28 June 2019. Chu lumped the greenhouse gas emissions from meat and dairy with other agricultural practices, such as fertilizer, and land-use changes, such as deforestation and soil disrupt… The panel of scientists looked at the climate change effects of agriculture, deforestation and other land use, such as harvesting peat and managing grasslands and wetlands. Terms for automated texts/calls from PETA: Rearing Cattle Produces More Greenhouse Gases Than Driving Cars, UN Report Warns, Options for Keeping the Food System Within Environmental Limits, Overview of Greenhouse Gases: Nitrous Oxide Emissions, Less Meat Is Nearly Always Better Than Sustainable Meat, to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, Banish ‘Eat Local’ From Your Environmental Playbook, Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems, 113 Degrees in France: Why Europe Is So Vulnerable to Extreme Heat, Climate Change and Human Health: Risk and Responses, Climate and Health: Climate Effects on Health, How Climate Change Is Exacerbating the Spread of Disease, Tell Chicago Officials to Shut Down Filthy Live-Animal Markets, Time to Scream Bloody Murder: Close Slaughterhouses, Labs Kill Animals Deemed Not ‘Essential’ in Response to COVID-19. needed to help meet the UK’s current climate change commitments, and beyond that, to stay-ing within the 1.5°C budget. The impact of these health hazards will only continue to grow as long as animal agriculture keeps fueling climate change. Developing Extension Capacity to Address Issues Related to Climate Change and Animal Agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that when each and every one of us changes our behavior, we can save lives—and the same applies to the health risks posed by climate change. The most important greenhouse gases from animal agriculture are methane and nitrous oxide. For this reason, we could take the opportunity of mitigating global warming by regulating the livestock industry. Fortunately, we can all take simple steps to protect our health and our planet. Their stomachs have four chambers, including the rumen, which ferments their food so that nutrients can be extracted. Nationwide, reductions to agricultural productivity or sudden losses of crops or livestock will likely have ripple effects, including increased food prices and greater food insecurity. Why Animal Agriculture is Not the Leading Cause of Climate Change A healthy portion of animal agriculture’s bad rap comes from the falsehood that livestock is the major source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, in spite of various studies claiming the contrary, animal agriculture and meat consumption are only small contributors to U.S. GHG production. Animal Agriculture is the leading driver of human induced climate change, deforestation, water depletion, habitat loss, species extinction and world hunger. 8Akshat Rathi, “Banish ‘Eat Local’ From Your Environmental Playbook,” Bloomberg Green, 4 Feb. 2020. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane are the three most destructive GHG emissions in the atmosphere, comprising almost 98 percent of the total. The greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture rivals that that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane, and rocket ship combined, they said. Often, this comes from monkeys or bats, who commonly carry vector-borne diseases such as Ebola, which can spread to humans who consume the flesh of a sick animal.15. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE, — Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind. In addition, animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, which is increasing the prevalence of both infectious and chronic diseases. For example, people often suggest that going vegan is the most important thing we can to stop the climate change. In this paper, we present the results of a Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) proving that animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change, responsible for at least 87% of greenhouse gas emissions annually. While reducing meat consumption (particularly beef) does reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there are other human activities that are more harmful. However, the impact of animal agriculture on GHG emissions has remained almost constant since 1990. 4United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), “Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” 28 May 2020. It is a fact that we can no longer ignore. This course lesson by the Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate Project describes the impacts of climate change on animal agriculture. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), just 2.8 percent of U.S. GHG emissions came from animal agriculture in 2007. One such activity that is a leading driver of climate change is animal agriculture—the practice of breeding and raising animals for food or clothing—which is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined.1 That’s because it takes vast resources to raise cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, and other animals—from land, water, and feed to the electricity needed to power farms.2 Furthermore, many commonly farmed animals, such as cows, goats, and sheep, are ruminant. The statistics are not encouraging. My goal is to educate others about this great planet, and the ways we can help to protect it. And consuming animal-derived foods weakens our immune systems and metabolic health. Both globally and in the U.S., energy production and … ANIMAL AGRICULTURE is the BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR to CLIMATE CHANGE! Rising temperatures and extreme heat can be dangerous for people who are elderly or immunocompromised and will increase the rate of heat-related illness and death, including from cardiovascular failure. Overuse of antibiotics in animals causes antibiotic resistance in animals and humans. Water quality is also negatively affected by climate change. Current subscribers: You will continue to receive e-mail unless you explicitly opt out by clicking, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In order to accommodate the 70 billion animals raised annually for human consumption, a third of the planet’s ice-free land surface, as well as nearly sixteen percent of global freshwater, is devoted to growing livestock. January 2015 The US lower 48 states represents 1.9 billion acres. Monkeys Get COVID-19, Too: Demand Answers on Primates Now! It proves that the livestock sector has improved feed efficiencies, developed better manure management strategies and efficient use of cropland. McMichael, et al., “Climate Change and Human Health: Risk and Responses,” World Health Organization, 2003. Deforestation is one of the leading ways in which the livestock industry contributes to global warming. We have already witnessed this phenomenon during heat waves in Europe, where every year, vulnerable individuals suffer from heat-induced illnesses. to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Therefore. Animal agriculture is choking the Earth and making us sick. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs). However, it is important to keep in mind that transportation is just one of the sources of fossil fuel combustion. Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox! 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