by Joyce DiBenedetto-Colton
Who’d-a thunk that food choices would have an effect on global climate change (better known as global warming?) Would you believe that what people eat in this country has contributed to ice caps melting, wildfires, tornados and – yes – hurricanes? Have we been eating our way into bigger and bigger storms, and rising sea levels? If Americans continue to generate greenhouse gases at their present rate, we may be in for more Katrinas.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the United States emits more greenhouse gases per person than any other country in the world: Approximately 6.6 tons per person annually. That’s a-lot-a gas. While most of this can be attributed to fossil fuel use for producing electricity and driving gas-generated vehicles, much of it is due to intensive animal agriculture. When a person includes meat in their diet, they can contribute as much as 4 tons of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere each year.
So, where does all this gas come from anyway? Well, the first thing that might come to mind is manure. The United Nations Food and Agriculture figures estimate the production of excrement from US livestock alone to be 230,000 pounds per second; which translates into threatening amounts of CO2, methane, nitrous oxides and ammonia escaping into the atmosphere. Along with manure, cows emit considerable amounts of digestive gases through belching. The EPA found that “livestock emit about 70 million metric tons of methane annually as ‘methane burps’ as cows process food.” (EPA Journal Mar/Apr 1990, 24) The thing about methane is that it traps 25 times as much heat per molecule as CO2, so manure and livestock waste management takes a sizeable toll.
Another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), traps 230 times as much heat per molecule as CO2. Manure, specifically chicken and turkey manure, accounts for significant levels of N2O because the poultry population of over 11 billion produces over 1.5 million tons of manure each and every day, according to the National Academy of Sciences figures.
In addition to animal excrement, other animal agribusiness practices contribute extensively to global warming. Millions of tons of fossil fuels and millions of acres of tropical forests are burned each year in the production of cattle and other livestock which has released over 1.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere over the last 3 decades. And the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on feed crops contributes to greenhouse gases as well. According to USDA figures, more than 80% of the soy, corn and wheat produced in the US is fed to farmed animals. This translates into considerable amounts of heat-trapping gases being emitted that are increasingly problematic.
We as Americans ought to take a look – a real look – at how we live, and then do something to help. Why not make a real contribution? Do your part to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. Forget the meat. Eat veggies instead. Healthier food choices can help alleviate global warming. Living more lightly, ethically and mindfully is something we can all contribute.