Learn more about the state of our Oceans.
Worldwide, 2 billion people live on a meat-based diet & 4 billion on a plant-based diet. The US food production system uses 50% of the total US land area, 80% of the fresh water, and 17% of the fossil energy used in the country.
90% of the corn & 85% soybeans grown in the US is not for food. It is causing a loss of biodiversity in the world.
Both Russell Simmons brave enough to connect animal ag with the environment as is JP Morgan (2022)
To produce 1 kcal of plant protein requires an input of about 2.2 kcal of fossil energy.
Animal ag over consumes calories that could be fed to humans. A hen must consume 22 calories of food to produce 4 calories of egg or 137 calories of food to produce 17 calories of flesh, cows 179 calories of food to produce 29 calories of dairy or 719 calories of food to produce 29 calories of flesh, pigs must consume 134 calories of food to produce 12 calories of flesh.
For every 2.2 lbs of high-quality animal protein produced, livestock are fed 13 lbs of plant protein.
US livestock consumes more than 7 times as much grain as is consumed directly by Americans.
This is because a meat-based diet consumes 273 lbs of flesh & 45 lbs of fish/year which requires 9 BILLION animals to be raised and killed each year in the US alone.
Not only does a vegan diet leaves the smallest environmental footprint, while the US grows crops to feed animals, the World Health Organization reports over 3 billion people are malnourished. The amount of grains fed to US livestock is sufficient to feed about 840 million people who follow a plant-based diet.
The Lancet outlines an ideal diet,”planetary health diet”, promoting human and the planet’s health by reducing agriculture’s contribution to environmental degradation and climate change.
American Public Health Association new policy statement advises governments to impose moratorium on new animal factories (CAFOs). Researchers found they are underestimating the methane produced by animal ag. See a Reuters video and article about how satellites capture the methane footprint of cattle operations.
How government subsidizes the wrong foods and treats fruit and vegetables consumed by humans as “specialty” foods entitled to less than 3% of the food subsidy budget
USDA “experts” are not scientists, they work for the meat and dairy industry here
Animal factory contamination by state/county map
13,000 animals die for a single pesticide to be brought to market; there are more than 10,000 pesticides on the market today. More.
5th Menus of Change leadership summit discusses impact of animal ag
Earth Sustainment & Food Shortages
The lactoovovegetarian diet is more sustainable than the average American meat-based diet according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report
Loma Linda University study concludes vegans’ diet creates 41.7% less greenhouse gas & that plant food production is 11 times more efficient than animal foods
We need more food for humans instead of livestock Read more because study after study shows crop production must increase by 50-60% by 2050 to meet increase population, increased meat consumption and increased biofuel needs.
Our ability to supply the world with vegetables is practically unlimited,” Babcock said. But people would rather eat meat than feed the poor. NPR Marketplace
Study finds vegetarian diets required 2.9 times less water, 2.5 times less primary energy, 13 times less fertilizer, and 1.4 times less pesticides than non vegetarian diets.
Oxford study finds vegan diet reduces gas emissions & mortality.
Research finds vegan diets are best for the environment.
Air & Greenhouse Gases
CA dairy farmers to cut methane emissions 40% by 2030.
Animal Ag must be reduced to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia (NH3) targets.
EPA shows enteric fermentation (animal agriculture) & manure management cause 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
Cattle produce more greenhouse gases than driving cars UN reports
Livestock cause 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions; more than the global transport sector.
Study finds non-vegetarians experienced a 20 % higher mortality rate and had a diet that caused 29% more greenhouse gases than vegetarians.
UK study notes agriculture accounts for 14% of global emissions and finds vegans account for 2.89 kg of CO2/2,000 kcal consumed, vs 5.63 from medium or 7.19 kg from high meat eaters.
EPA fails to adequately measure toxic air emissions from factory farms.
EPA IG: After 11 years EPA still unable to estimate airborne emissions from factory farms to determine air compliance.
Pitman Poultry fined $249,980 for releasing ammonia, causing air quality harm & hospitalization of 15 workers
NASA Study Finds Global Methane Emissions From Agriculture Larger Than Estimated
Deforestation
Study: Beef Companies Failing in Effort to Slow Amazon Deforestation
NY Times: Cargill deforests rainforest to grown soy for cows
Extinction
2 of top 10 amphibian species killed for their flesh or skin are listed endangered
Water
Study of 34,000 California respondents found “the difference in water use for the vegetarian and nonvegetarian diet was 1000 L (264 gallons)/wk.” Those with a veg diet conserved an equivalent of 54% of the weekly per capita indoor water consumption.
The USGS.gov estimates of gallons H2O needed for 1 orange (13), 1/4 lb hamburger (460), 1 egg (50). This Foundation lists 1 lb of cheese as using 382 gallons.
Producing 1 kg of animal protein requires 100 times more water than producing 1 kg of grain protein.
USDA report states 80% of water consumed in the US is from agriculture.
Scientists estimates range from 2500-6000 gallons of water per pound of meat.
To produce 8 oz: soy milk-9 gallons of water; cow’s milk-30 gallons of water.
Meanwhile, corporations are buying up the world’s water (here).
Numbers of fish drop 50% since 1970.
This study shows it takes 2000L of water to produce 1 kilo of soybeans & 43,000L to produce 1 kilo of beef.
Rivers contaminated by chicken/turkey poo. ¾ of slaughterhouses that discharge into waterways discharged pathogens, oxygen-depleting pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus, and contaminants like sulfates and chlorides in violation of their discharge permits, averaging the same nitrogen as the sewage of 14,000 humans.
NC land, water and air contaminated by hog lagoons
Zero Waste
The greatest rates of loss were associated with livestock production, and consequently changes in the levels of meat, dairy and egg consumption can substantially affect the overall efficiency of the food system, and associated environmental impacts
Other info
Home energy uses graphic; Dept of Interior reports that failure to increase in 100 years the fees taxpayers get for companies drilling on private land per the leasing program fails to provide a fair return to taxpayers even before factoring in climate-related costs. More drilling=more wildlife impact.