Here are some examples of how animal agriculture hurts the environment:
1. The human population is expected to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, resulting in a massive increase in meat and dairy consumption. Meat and dairy will be produced by an almost animal agricultural industry, putting a major burden on the planet's natural land, water, and air resources.
2. Land will be harmed because animals will graze on vast stretches of land, resulting in deforestation, degradation of soil quality, and nitrogen sapping. Deforestation is common in South America, whereas land degradation is widespread in Africa.
India is included on the list as well. According to government estimates, the degradation covers around 97 million hectares, or nearly 30% of India's land, an area approximately equal to northern Europe.
3. “Currently, people have converted 38% of the Earth's ice-free land surface to agriculture, crops, and pasture,” according to the UN Food and Agriculture 2015 study report (Foley et al., 2011). Agricultural production, which is driven by the need to feed a growing population, has had a big effect on our ecosystems and resources, particularly through water abstraction and residues.”
According to research published in The Lancet, meat and dairy production consume 83% of farmland, and humans and livestock account for 86% of all land animals. According to research, by making a minor change in our lifestyle, we will be able to cut global farmland by more than 75% and yet feed the world.
4. Water, the elixir of life, is the next death of the animal farming industry's thoughtless expansion. 1 kg of chicken flesh needs 3,546 liters of water, while one egg requires 200 liters.
When it comes to water utilization, the milk business follows a similar path. 1020 liters of water are required for 1 liter of milk production, including animal nutrition, cleaning, packaging, and transportation. Unfortunately, India has only 4% of the world's water resources but must feed 16% of the world's people.
5. There has been sufficiently written about the role of automobile, industry, and stubble burning emissions in India's rising air pollution levels. In reality, it is animal farming that is the true villain.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Second Biennial Update Report, India's livestock produces more greenhouse gases each year than vehicles, trucks, and motorcycles combined. In 2017, for example, the number of greenhouse gases produced by livestock in India equaled the carbon emissions of the oil-producing United Arab Emirates. As a result, India ranks sixth in the world to reduce greenhouse.
6. Industrial farm waste decomposes microbially, releasing nitrogen and organic carbon molecules into the air we breathe. Due to direct and extended exposure, farmworkers are particularly exposed to air pollutants on the farm.
They also need to be in the presence of highly concentrated substances that can be harmful or even death in high concentrations. Respiratory problems, inflammatory syndrome, asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and so on are some of these side effects.
7. India, ironically, is the world's largest exporter of meat and leather. According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority India, the country exported 11,52,547.32 MT (Metric Tonnes) of buffalo meat products to the world worth Rs. 22,668.48 Crores/ 3,175.05 USD Millions in 2019-20, procuring from major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, etc. Maharashtra.
Surprisingly, the top three beef exporting states are also the top dairy producers. You can well picture the environmental damage that this amount of animal-based farming has caused in our country!
What can be done to prevent these effects?
We must limit our consumption and waste by adopting a sustainable lifestyle that includes eating more healthily, avoiding plastic, recycling, and conserving water. We can greatly limit climate change by doing so, even if it means progressively reducing our use of animal products.
One can save up to 15 lac litres of water, 6,000 kilos of grain, 11,000 sq ft of forest area, and 3,000 kgs of CO2 emissions by fasting from eating animals and animal products for a year. You will also have saved the lives of 362 animals via your kind decision.
Moving to a plant-based lifestyle is simple and accessible, thanks to a growing library of materials ranging from plant milk to fake meats and artificial leather.
Lentils, vegetables, fruits, nuts, peanut milk, rice milk, and coconut milk are constants in our diets to provide our nutritional needs.
Can we go one step farther today as we try to safeguard ourselves and our loved ones from the pandemic? If only we could be more like Popeye. We'll be able to claw our way out of this quicksand.
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