Food Unsustainability

Simply put the fish in the ocean cannot recover fast enough to support demand.

The amount of cows needed to supply the world with the beef and milk products desired is causing a significant damage to the environment.

I could go on but if to learn more watch “Eating Our Way to Extinction” a documentary that covers the topic thoroughly, narrated by Kate Winslet. Click below to see the trailer.

When thinking of the environment the are three main things to consider: the land, the air and the water.

Rainforests.

Everyone accepts that loss of the rainforest is a negative. I was taught that in school at a very young age.

“Unbelievably, over 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every day. That is over 150 acres lost every minute of every day, and 78 million acres are lost every year!”

“Most of Central American's tropical and temperate rainforests have been lost to cattle operations to meet this world demand, and still the cattle operations continue to move southward into the heart of the South American Rainforests in the Amazon basin.”

Quote from: http://csc.columbusstate.edu/summers/Outreach/RainSticks/fRainforestFacts.htm

Why do rainforests mater?

The result of deforestation is a lower oxygen content in the art, more CO2 in the atmosphere and an ozone layer that can’t recover as efficiently.

“Rainforests produce about 20% of our oxygen and store a huge amount of carbon dioxide, drastically reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Massive amounts of solar radiation are absorbed, helping regulate temperatures around the globe. Taken together, these processes help to stabilize Earth's climate.” National Geographic

Rainforests also store about 1/5th of the world’s fresh water. They are the source for many medicines and products that humans have come to rely on. There has even been found a mushroom growing there that can consume plastic. This might be key in taking care of the many landfills that are cluttering up the planet.

Click here to learn more about rainforests

What is the cause of this deforestation?

Even though I learned about the issue in grade school I was never taught why. The reason is primarily to clear land for cattle to feed the world’s demand of beef and milk products.

What is the effect of this many cows?

Methane. Methane is the primary threat to the ozone layer. When cows fart, they release methane into the environment. But, why do a few cow farts matter? The reason they matter is because there are currently 1.5 billion cows on the planet. That equates to A LOT of methane.

“Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. Even though CO2 has a longer-lasting effect, methane sets the pace for warming in the near term.

At least 25% of today’s global warming is driven by methane from human actions.” -Environmental Defense Fund

Click her to learn more about the effect of methane on the planet.

Water Pollution. The liquid and solid waste from 1.5 billon cows is also an issue. It is sometimes an ingredient in fertilizer for plants but much of the cow waste ends up polluting streams and rivers. The negatively affects countless other animal and plant species.

There are ways to get beef that is sustainable. The answer is to buy it locally. The beef from giant farms that ends up in national retailers and standard grocery stores are typically from the large farms that are the worst for the environment. To learn more about eating local foods click here.

The easiest way to have an effect on the beef issue and its impacts on the environment is to not eat beef.