Beef production has a massive environmental impact that most people are unaware of. Here is an in-depth look at why beef is so detrimental to the planet.
Causes Deforestation and Loss of Carbon Sinks
One of the main reasons beef harms the environment is because it requires huge amounts of land for grazing and growing feed crops. This leads to widespread deforestation, especially in areas like the Amazon rainforest.
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Between 2000-2019, global farmland expanded by 9% with much of it coming from clearing forests.
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Forests store massive amounts of carbon, so cutting them down releases all that carbon into the atmosphere and destroys a natural carbon sink
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If current deforestation rates continue, the Amazon rainforest could reach a tipping point and no longer be able to sustain itself.
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This would be catastrophic for climate change as the Amazon produces over 20% of the world’s oxygen
Major Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The meat industry is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change
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Total emissions from livestock make up 14.5% of all human-caused emissions globally.
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Cows produce large volumes of methane from their digestive processes, and methane has 80 times the warming power of CO2 in the short-term.
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If deforestation linked to cattle ranching is included, the livestock industry accounts for at least 51% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Research shows it’s impossible to meet climate goals like the Paris Agreement without reducing meat consumption.
Inefficient Use of Resources
Raising beef is an extremely inefficient way to produce food:
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77% of global farmland is used for grazing or growing feed for livestock even though meat makes up just 18% of global calorie supply.
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Beef production uses 60% of the world’s agricultural land but provides only 2% of human calories.
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Producing 1 kg of fresh beef takes 25 kg of grain and 15,000 liters of water.
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If everyone shifted to a plant-based diet, we could reduce farmland use by 75% while still feeding the global population.
Drives Biodiversity Loss
Converting forests to pastureland and using pesticides to grow animal feed is devastating biodiversity.
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The rapid loss of species from habitat destruction now threatens humanity as much as climate change.
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Since 1970, wildlife populations have declined by 68% around the world.
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Beef production is a major culprit behind species extinction. The World Wildlife Fund links it to destruction of critical ecosystems like the Amazon, Cerrado, and Chaco.
Worsens Water Pollution
The industrial livestock system pollutes waterways around the world:
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Animal waste and fertilizers from feed crops create algae blooms and “dead zones” in lakes and oceans.
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Livestock produce over 1.7 billion tons of waste yearly in the U.S. alone. Improper management leads to contamination.
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About 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from cattle ranching and feed crops for livestock.
Increases Risk of Pandemics
Industrial meat production makes pandemics more likely:
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75% of new infectious diseases come from animals, mostly from wildlife interaction on deforested land.
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Intensive farms with crowded, stressed animals are breeding grounds for disease.
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Rampant antibiotic use in factory farms breeds drug-resistant bacteria.
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The swine flu, bird flu, and Covid-19 pandemics all stemmed from industrial meat production systems.
Unethical Land Use and Labor Practices
Beef companies are often complicit in unethical practices:
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Ranching and soy producers illegally seize land from indigenous communities to expand operations.
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Meat processing workers face dangerous conditions, low wages, and no benefits or job security.
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Many ranches in South America use what amounts to modern-day slave labor.
THE MEAT OF THE PROBLEM
The growth of the meat industry mirrors the rise in global population, but increasing gross domestic product per capita in developing countries boosts the demand even higher, Mooney said. Generally, in developing countries when people have more money, they increase the meat and animal products in their diets, he noted.
To meet the rising global demand for cheap protein, livestock production has grown increasingly more industrialized.
“The livestock industry is changing really rapidly in this country and elsewhere,” said Falcon, deputy director of Stanfords Program on Food Security and the Environment and a senior fellow at the Woods Institute. Falcon grew up on an Iowa cattle farm. In his lifetime, hes seen a 90 percent reduction in the number of small feedlots near his childhood home.
Small farms with free-roaming animals are disappearing in many parts of the world, he said. Currently, three-quarters of the worlds poultry supply, half of the pork and two-thirds of the eggs come from industrial meat factories, according to the FAO.
The concentration of livestock increases the environmental burden, Falcon added. “Issues, like runoff and odor, that were present in rather small and diverse quantities 40 years ago have now become concentrated and significant,” he said.
The meat industry also has a significant impact on global warming. Livestock production accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane gas emissions worldwide, according to the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative, an international consortium of government and private agencies based at FAO headquarters in Rome.
More than two-thirds of all agricultural land is devoted to growing feed for livestock, while only 8 percent is used to grow food for direct human consumption, LEAD reported. If the entire world population were to consume as much meat as the Western world does-176 pounds of meat per capita per year- the global land required would be two-thirds more than what is presently used, according to Vaclav Smil, professor of environment and geography at the University of Manitoba and participant in the EVP study.
LEAD researchers also found that the global livestock industry uses dwindling supplies of freshwater, destroys forests and grasslands, and causes soil erosion, while pollution and the runoff of fertilizer and animal waste create dead zones in coastal areas and smother coral reefs. There also is concern over increased antibiotic resistance, since livestock accounts for 50 percent of antibiotic use globally, according to LEAD.
This project was funded by the Woods Institute’s Environmental Venture Projects grants program. Get more news about Woods-sponsored research on our In Focus page, or by signing up for our newsletter and seed grant announcements at the link below.
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Beef and climate change are in the news these days, from cows’ alleged high-methane farts (fact check: they’re actually mostly high-methane burps) to comparisons with cars and airplanes (fact check: the world needs to reduce emissions from fossil fuels and agriculture to sufficiently rein in global warming). And as with so many things in the public sphere, it’s easy for the conversation to get polarized.
Drawing from our World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future and other research, here are six common questions about beef and climate change:
Why beef is the worst food for the climate
FAQ
How does beef affect the environment?
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Stanford Woods Institute for the Environmenthttps://woods.stanford.eduMeat’s Environmental ImpactLivestock production accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane gas emissions w…
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Clean Water Actionhttps://cleanwater.orgThe Meat Industry – Environmental Issues & SolutionsOn top of all of this, livestock emit methane (burps) during digestion and further emissions are released during the processing and transportation of the animal…
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ARS Scientific Discoveries (.gov)https://scientificdiscoveries.ars.usda.govEnvironmental Sustainability of U.S. Beef | Scientific DiscoveriesGreenhouse gas (methane) emissions and food waste were major findings in the assessment. Researchers estimate that the production and consumption of beef amount…
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Emission Indexhttps://www.emission-index.comWhat Is The Least Sustainable Meat? – Emission IndexMar 15, 2024 — The meat with the most severe ecological footprint is generally beef, primarily due to its elevated production of greenhouse gases, land and water u…
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YouTube · Hot Messhttps://www.youtube.comBeef is Bad for the Climate… But How Bad? | Hot MessJul 5, 2018 — left to their own devices trees are carbon trapping wizards they pull CO2 out of the air and transform it into wood which locks carbon out of the atm…
Is beef the worst meat for the environment?
Beef production is highly resource-intensive. It has the largest carbon footprint of any food, and when it comes to land use is second only to raising sheep and lambs for meat. Water use for beef is much higher than for many other foods, particularly most vegetables.
Why is beef worse than other meats?
Steak, ribs, pork chops, and ground beef contain higher LDL levels. People that consume higher amounts of red meat weekly have been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Red meat is higher in calories than other protein sources due to the high amount of fat usually found in them.
Why is beef carbon footprint so high?
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Methane emissions:Ruminant animals like cows produce methane during their digestive process (enteric fermentation). Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, significantly impacting the climate.
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Land use:Beef production requires vast amounts of land for grazing and growing feed crops. This can lead to deforestation and habitat loss, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere.
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Feed production:The process of growing feed for cattle, including using fertilizers and pesticides, also contributes to emissions.
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Transportation and processing:Energy is used to transport cattle to slaughterhouses, process the meat, and distribute it to consumers.
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Water use:Beef production is also water-intensive, especially in regions with limited water resources.