Comprehensive Report: Environmental Consequences of Meat Consumption

This report investigates the significant environmental consequences of meat consumption and animal farming. It highlights how the practice contributes to climate change, citing the release of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, which are more potent than carbon dioxide. The report also details the role of animal agriculture in deforestation, particularly the destruction of rainforests for grazing land and feed production. Furthermore, it addresses the pollution caused by meat industries, including the contamination of water and land by manure and toxic chemicals, as well as the depletion of freshwater resources. The report emphasizes the ethical dimensions of meat production, focusing on animal welfare issues and the inhumane treatment of animals. It concludes by suggesting that reducing meat consumption and adopting a diet rich in fruits and vegetables could mitigate these environmental impacts, combat climate change, and improve animal welfare.

Running head: MEAT CONSUMPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
MEAT CONSUMPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1MEAT CONSUMPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Eating habits play a major role in shaping the climate including all vegetation and
animal species. Capturing animals for food, skin and other purposes benefiting the human
beings requires killing them creating an adverse effect on the habitat directly and indirectly
(Godfray, et al., 2015). These effects create a pathway for environmental destruction
inclusive of factors causing global warming (Raphaely, 2015). Therefore, the question in
context to the topic is such that if the consumption of meat is having an effect on the
environment (Jacob & Pethick, 2014).
Meat intaking is considered a choice of individuals and certainly freedom of food
habits of people around the world is a debatable topic and the controversy is if such food
habits affect the environment as opposed to people who do not consume meat (Smil, 2013).
According to a United Nations report claims that greenhouse gases have increased to an
extent due to the consumption of meat as compared to produce from transports
worldwide(Animal Aid, 2019). Animal Farming is one of the major reasons for global
warming, as they contribute a large proportion of methane and nitrous oxide(Raphaely,
2015). Cattle farming leads to deforestation of which Amazon rainforest is a part of. Animals
that are being held captive for these industries require a certain weight and as a result a large
proportion of forests and trees are uprooted (Raphaely, 2015) to create their grazing ground
(Animal Aid, 2019). Freshwater resources are equally exhausted by certain meat industries
that require over 15000 litres of water every few hours (Jacob & Pethick, 2014).
The range of hurdles it creates is not only restricted to forests and water, but also in
case of grains that covers 30% of all grains harvested and cropped. Meat industry produces
manure both liquid and solid that are dumped on land or channeled into waterways causing
air, water and land pollution (Raphaely, 2015). Ammonia, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Nitrogen and
other toxic chemicals contaminate the environment risking lives of birds, fishes, algae and
other aquatic beings (Jacob & Pethick, 2014). Meat industry also includes fishing that

2MEAT CONSUMPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
involves culturing salmons, trouts and mackerels that require extraction of small fishes from
their original habitat to be their diet (Raphaely, 2015).
The procedure to rear the animal meat is inhuman and is a violation animal rights.
Animals are responsive, conscious and reactive beings and they are put to cruel and
degrading means of torture that completely negates welfare (Raphaely, 2015). The animals
are subjected to not only sacrifice their habitat to meet our needs but also to lose their lives in
the most unnatural way (Godfray, et al., 2015). Animal farms in most cases negate space
issues and animals being able to contact with each other (Smil, 2013).
However, Meat eating is an individualistic choice and reducing consumption to an
extent and by replacing fresh fruits and organic vegetables in the diet will emit low
greenhouse gases, combat climate change, eradicate pollution, replenish ocean lives as well
as save lives (Animal Aid, 2019; Smil, 2013).

3MEAT CONSUMPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
References
Animal Aid. (2019). Animal Farming - Animal Aid. Retrieved 23 August 2019, from
https://www.animalaid.org.uk/the-issues/our-campaigns/animal-farming/
Godfray, H. C. J., Aveyard, P., Garnett, T., Hall, J. W., Key, T. J., Lorimer, J., ... & Jebb, S.
A. (2018). Meat consumption, health, and the environment. Science, 361(6399),
eaam5324.
Jacob, R. H., & Pethick, D. W. (2014). Animal factors affecting the meat quality of
Australian lamb meat. Meat science, 96(2), 1120-1123.
Raphaely, T. (Ed.). (2015). Impact of meat consumption on health and environmental
sustainability. IGI Global.
Smil, V. (2013). Should we eat meat. Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory.
UK: Wiley-Blackwell.