Essay # 1: Cause/Effect- The Repercussions of Eating Meat: Can the Earth Sustain our Carnivorous Tendencies?

The Repercussions of Eating Meat

Can the Earth Sustain Our Carnivorous Tendencies?

When we sit down to the table and eat our hot dogs, chicken nuggets, or other meat products we often do not consider the processes that were involved in getting our meat to the store that we bought it from. Many of us do not think about the resources required to provide the massive amount of meat the world consumes on a daily basis. Although eating meat is a normal part of life for many people, consumer demand causes damage to the earth because it is increasing the consumption of natural resources, causing substantial amounts of pollution, and contributing to global warming. According to Kathy Freston (2007), the United Nations published a report in December of 2006 stating that the livestock industry is a top contributor to the damage that is being caused to the environment. Reports on how we are ravaging the earth are abundant. It seems like there are new headlines and research studies being discussed every day. If we do not stop being lackadaisical about our environment, we may eventually no longer have a planet that is capable of sustaining life.

In order to get the meat we love to eat on the table, massive amounts of livestock must be housed, fed, watered, transported, and slaughtered on a daily basis. Just the crops alone that are needed to feed these animals total about seventy percent of all crops grown in the world. Just imagining the vast amount of acreage that must be required to maintain all those crops in order to feed livestock is mind-blowing. Even if we ate more crops and consumed less meat, we would still be conserving land mass just because we would require less space to house livestock. Many forests have been cut down and replaced with agricultural growth. Because about seventy percent of agriculture growth is used to feed livestock, fewer trees would be cut down in order to grow crop if we were to reduce our meat intake. According to freelance writer Rita Putatunda (2008), cutting down our forests is also causing about fifty to one hundred species of animals to go extinct on a daily basis.

Not only is our increasing demand for more meat attributed to a large percentage of the global deforestization, but it is also directly connected to pollution. When trees are cut down it disrupts the water cycle (Patatunda, 2008). The water that is stored in the roots of the plants and trees no longer exists after they are dead; causing the area to become drier. Livestock produce such a colossal amount of manure that it sits in piles for acre upon acre of land. This waste gets into the water supply and pollutes our water. These numerous acres of feces cause pollution in the air by producing a substantial amount of methane gas. According to the EPA (2002), about eighty percent of the ammonia that pollutes the air is derived from livestock.

Many of the gaseous and chemical pollutants that are getting into the air and water eventually make their way to our ozone layer in the form of greenhouse gasses. Methane is a huge source of greenhouse gas. Livestock also increase the output of nitrous oxide. The UN attributes sixty-five percent of nitrous oxide output to livestock. That is an astounding percentage of nitrous oxide caused by our largely conditioned global society. Our ozone layer is being depleted right before our very eyes. The trees that are being burnt down and allowed to rot produce large amounts of carbon that is then released into the ozone layer. Carbon dioxide and methane are two of the greatest contributors to the diminution of our vital ozone layer.

As we continue to eat our meat, enjoying the savory taste of barbeque, we are slowly destroying our planet. We are using up our beautiful earth to store manure and grow millions of animals so that we can kill them and eat them. The waste these animals create is making an enormous contribution to the pollution of our water and the destruction of the ozone layer. Imagine what kind of a difference we could make if everyone reduced their meat consumption by fifty percent. We can start today. Instead of that beef burger at Chili’s, why not try out the black bean burger that contains no meat? It is amazing how much power we have to fix our planet. Next time you eat a meal, think about the contribution you could make to our planet and the next generation by skipping the meat.

References

Environmental Protection Agency, (2002, April). Review of Emission Factors and Methodologies to Estimate    Ammonia Emissions from Animal Waste Handling. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL /ubs/600r02017/600r02017.htm

Freson, Kathy. (2007, January). Vegetarian is the New Prius. Retrieved from             http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/ vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html

Patatunda, Rita. (2008, March). Causes and Effects of Deforestation. Retrieved from http:// www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-deforestation.html

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