Livestock & their byproducts cause 51% of greenhouse gas emissions (more than the transportation sector).
- World Watch- Livestock and Climate Change.
- The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates we could reduce energy use (in Btu) by 77% if people switched to an “Energy Efficient Diet” (pescatarian).
- More info in my “Healthy Diets and Sustainability” post.
In the U.S. feed crops (like corn and soy) are heavily subsidized by the government.
- Plant farmers don’t get much above market value for their crops usually, but Big Agriculture companies who need cheap, calorically dense food (i.e. corn and soy) to feed their livestock make out on this deal (So do ethanol processors and processed corn-refineries).
- Negative ecological impacts of growing these feed grains often occurs, like excess pesticides in groundwater and rivers.
- The IATP has a good summary of the issue in this paper: Below Cost Feed Crops: An Indirect Subsidy for Industrial Animal Factories.
- The IATP has a good summary of the issue in this paper: Below Cost Feed Crops: An Indirect Subsidy for Industrial Animal Factories.
Growing feed crops for livestock uses 56% of US water.
- Michael Jacobson- Six Arguments for a Greener Diet.
- 1 pound of beef averages 2,500 gallons of water to produce.
For myself, this information helps to provide a basis of facts large enough to shift my eating pattern to a permanently plant based one. However, dietary choices (like most lifestyle choices) are both cultural and personal, and each individual deserves to make informed and individualized decisions.