MaureenThe United States is the land of abundance. The supermarkets Americans shop at everyday provide every possible need and wish a consumer could hope for. The meat department is rarely low on supply, while the produce isles are always full of fresh, colorful, luscious fruit. Very few shoppers leave such a supermarket empty handed. Although food is more accessible than ever, the cost of the abundance of food Americans enjoy causes damage to the environment because of the amount of usable land it takes, the waste produced on massive farms, and the greed of consumers.
Americans are accustomed to mass quantities of food available for purchase at the super market. For there to be such great volumes of food on the shelves, there must first be production. Production is constant and operated so more food can be produced more quickly and at a lower cost. However, this mass production or manufacturing must take up space and use valuable resources. Animal agriculture alone covers 70% of all agricultural land. Compared to the rest of the globe, this accounts for 30% of the total land surface.
A somewhat simpler example is the Amazon Rainforest. Pastureland for animal agriculture covers 70% of the once huge rainforest; a portion of this is for growing feed for the animals. Not only does animal agriculture consume so much of the land surface area, it also absorbs mass amounts of carbon dioxide and releases similarly large amounts. The amount of carbon dioxide released exceeds all fossil fuel emissions produced by animal agriculture.
Carbon dioxide is not the only gas produced from animal agriculture: several other very harmful gases and wastes are produced by these huge farms. Methane and nitrous oxide are also released. Both of these gases greatly contribute to global warming. The two gases, as a matter of fact, have an even greater warming power than carbon dioxide. Methane is 23 times more warming, while nitrous oxide is 296 times more warming. Not only are farmers depleting enormous amounts of valuable land, but they are emitting some of the most harmful gases into the environment.
These gases come primarily from the waste of animals. Animal agriculture is operated in mass quantities, so the waste of this operation is produced in massive quantities as well. The animals raised on these farms for food account for a staggering 20% of the overall land animal biomass of the earth. The manure of farm animals is roughly 100 times more than the waste put out by humans. Within this waste are some of the most damaging gases to the environment. Carbon dioxide contributes to nine percent of emissions, methane registers at 37%, while a shocking 65% of gases emitted is attributed to nitrous oxide. Livestock farms also contribute to two-thirds of the world’s acid-rain producing ammonia.
Not only is this waste emitted in vast amounts into the air, it is washed into water systems, lakes, rivers and the ocean as well. The effects are extremely harmful to the environment. What is even more disturbing is that this waste and run-off is even more damaging than the vehicles Americans operate every day. The very food produced and eaten is what will damage the earth at an even higher rate than previously believed. While the focus has been on fossil fuel emission, we have been killing the planet by our very survival.
The American consumption of food is not solely for survival however; this is the reason humanity now faces the issue of global warming and environmental stress. The problems caused by animal agriculture can also be attributed to the gluttony of Americans. It is evident in the well-stocked shelves of the supermarkets across the country. The enormous amount of meat available for consumers, as well as the constant production and demand for “fresh” products, continues to fuel the need for animal agriculture on such large scales. Americans have become used to having whatever they want whenever they want. Meat consumption has risen five times within the past fifty years. It is also a forecast to continue increasing over five times within the next fifty years. Meat is readily available and its consumption is encouraged. Ads such as the Wendy’s slogan “Where’s the Beef” are broadcasted throughout all American homes. Arrogance as well as gluttony is causing great problems. These problems are not just within the United States but affect the entire world.
The solution to such a large scale issue is not simple and cannot be determined quickly. It took several decades for the farming industry to reach this point and it may take the same amount of time for it to change. If there were a few changes, there may be a greater chance to slightly affect the outcome of global warming gas emissions. Vegetarianism is one option available. Vegetarianism would provide a healthier diet for Americans. This would also help with the issues caused by obesity within the country. It would provide a new job market, change the land scape of agriculture in a literal sense, and increase awareness about the quality of the food consumed in the U.S.
There are several examples of small changes being made. Select restaurants provide the option of vegetarian items on their menus. These restaurants include: Ruby Tuesdays and Burger King. Supermarkets are not left out of the vegetarian loop either. There are plenty of options and different brands available that are vegetarian. Even more examples of change toward a better system include super star personalities who support organic and vegetarian lifestyles, such as Alec Baldwin and Leonardo DiCaprio. While a change from a meat consuming society will be slow and cumbersome, it is possible. It took a while to reach the state the food industry is in now and it will take time to change it.
Works Cited
Freston, K. (2007, January 18). Vegetarian is the New Prius. Huffpost Happy Living. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html
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