Lesson 06

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Livestock and the Environment

Sold in stores everywhere, bacon may be a triumph of modern living, but there is a dark side to the bacon industry. Pigs are raised in confined pens and fed corn that has been grown in vast fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. To grow the corn, a huge amount of fertilizer is used, which eventually gets washed into rivers and streams. This affects the ecosystems of such bodies of water, and the fertilizer runoff ends up in fish and other marine life for kilometers around. This is the process necessary to get bacon onto our breakfast tables.

Factory Farming That Dries Up Our Planet

Annual meat consumption has reached an average of over 40 kilograms per person globally, and the demand is increasing. To meet growing demand, livestock industries have turned to large-scale “manufacturing” of meat in huge “factories.” Such a move, however, puts strain on the environment, in particular on the land and water resources of the earth.

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Every year, over one billion tons of grain is consumed by farm animals. More than two thirds of all agricultural land is used to raise grains and vegetables for livestock while merely eight percent of the agricultural land is used to grow food for direct human consumption.

Moreover, about one third of the world’s fresh water is used for meat production, which cuts into the supply of water for humans. The bed of the Colorado River in the U.S. is expected to dry up soon; too much water has been drained from the river as neighboring farms need to grow feed for cows. In short, a large portion of our natural resources are used for meat production.

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From Land to the Ocean

As more people want more meat, it is inevitable that land for livestock be extended to meet the demand. More meat production results in increased water pollution in both rivers and oceans since cows and pigs eat a lot and at the same time produce a lot of manure.

Livestock is said to produce 130 times as much manure as humans in the U.S. When not managed properly, the manure and water containing it cause severe harm to the ecosystems of rivers and oceans. When rain comes, manure is washed away with the runoff, polluting nearby soil, streams, and rivers all the way until it reaches the ocean.

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Once it reaches the ocean, it contributes to the formation of what is known as a “dead zone.” Dead zones occur around the world, primarily near areas where heavy farming and industrial activity spill nutrients into the water. Concentrated levels of nutrients in water result in the blooming of algae, which are simple forms of water plants. When too many plants grow in the water, they use up the ocean’s oxygen, suffocating other plants and animals. The largest known dead zone occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002, when runoff from the Mississippi River caused over 20,000 square kilometers of the Gulf area to become uninhabitable for oceanic life.

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The Unknown Contributor to Global Warming

The increasing demand for meat and meat products brings trouble not only to the natural resources under our feet but also to those overhead in the atmosphere. Even though carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming in the air, recent research has shown that methane can have a greater impact.

Methane is responsible for about 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That doesn’t seem like much, but experts warn that methane is over 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide in trapping the sun’s heat in the atmosphere. Where does all the methane come from?

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Much of the methane in the atmosphere is released naturally in damp areas. However, about 15 percent is emitted by the growing number of cows and pigs. Statistics vary about the exact amount of methane emitted by a cow, but it is generally agreed that a single cow releases up to 120 kilograms of methane per year, more than any other domestic animal. That is about 1,000 times the amount of methane emitted by an average person.

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Methane is produced in a cow’s special digestive system. A cow has a stomach with four rooms to break down the food it eats. The food digested in the first two rooms is sent to the mouth to be chewed again, and then sent to the third and the fourth rooms. A cow does this for about eight hours on average every day during which it keeps burping and passing gas, giving off methane into the atmosphere. Imagine the enormous amount of methane emitted from the burping mouths of 1.5 billion cows on six continents.

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The world’s livestock industries are growing at an unprecedented rate due to population growth and rising incomes. The world’s population is predicted to reach around nine billion by 2050. Koreans ate an average of 11 kilograms of meat per person in 1980, but the average increased to 51 kilograms in 2014. As people prefer increased animal protein in their meals, our land, rivers, and oceans are bound to suffer with no solution in sight. Maybe it is time we give our diets a second thought.

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One Happy Day in 2050

On one Saturday in 2050, Amy’s getting ready to go out for a family lunch to celebrate her 17th birthday. Excitedly, she gets into a self-driving car with her parents

and her little brother Josh.

“I didn’t think we’d have to wait in line,” Josh complains. “This place is always busy, but you won’t regret waiting,” Mom says. The line moves along smoothly, and before long, Amy’s family steps through the door of the Old Kitchen. Josh immediately forgets his recent annoyance as he sees restaurant servers carrying plates that smell of delicious food. “Wow, this is nice. We’re in a place where we are served by people, not robots. I feel more warmly treated when served by a human,” says Amy.

“Hello? May I take your orders?” a waiter asks politely. “What’s today’s special?” asks Mom. “Well, today’s special is ant fried rice. It’s said to be high in protein and low in fat.” “OK, we’ll have two specials,” says Mom. "Why don’t we order some beef dishes as well?” asks Mom. “But Mom, beef is way too expensive, isn’t it?” Amy says with concern in her voice. “I know, but today is special. I really miss the good old days when beef was reasonably priced,” says Mom. “Why is beef so expensive?” asks Josh with a puzzled look. “Raising cows is costly because global warming has resulted in a lack of natural resources,” Dad explains. “I can’t imagine the old days when people ate beef as often as we eat insects today. But why complain? I like insect dishes,” cheerfully replies Josh. As Mom says, waiting in line to dine at the Old Kitchen pays off.