Eating meat has a big impact on the environment, causing several important problems for the planet. Raising animals for food and growing their feed takes up large amounts of land, produces high levels of greenhouse gases, and puts strain on natural resources. This affects key areas such as climate change, cutting down forests, lack of water, and loss of wildlife. Knowing about these effects is the first step to making choices that are better for the environment.
The meat industry is huge worldwide and keeps getting bigger as the global population grows. Experts expected meat consumption to double by 2020, with rising incomes in developing countries making the demand even higher. The growth of large, industrial-style livestock farms puts more stress on the environment compared to smaller farms, making waste and other problems much more noticeable.
How Does Meat Consumption Affect the Environment?
Main Environmental Effects of Meat
- Greenhouse gas emissions: Raising animals, especially cows, releases large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, gases which warm the planet much more than carbon dioxide.
- Deforestation: Land is cleared for animal grazing and for growing feed like soy and corn, leading to loss of forests and wild habitats.
- Water use: Meat production requires a lot of water, both for the animals and to grow their food. It also often pollutes water with manure and chemical runoff.
- Biodiversity loss: Converting forests or grasslands into farms destroys the homes of many animals and plants.
How Large-Scale Production Makes Things Worse
Producing meat on a massive scale increases all these environmental problems. As more people eat more meat-average yearly consumption nearly doubled from 1961 to 2021-different methods of farming have put more animals in smaller spaces. This means more pollution and a higher risk of problems from waste.
| Resource | Used for Meeting Demand | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Land | Over 2/3 of farmland for livestock feed | Leads to deforestation and loss of wild areas |
| Freshwater | Used for animal care and feed crops | Drains water supplies, causes pollution |
Major Environmental Issues From Meat Production
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Animals
- Livestock farming causes about 14.5% of global greenhouse gases, more than all cars, trains, and airplanes together.
- Methane from animal digestion is especially harmful for warming the planet.
- Producing feed, transporting animals, and processing meat also add to the carbon footprint.
Deforestation Tied to Livestock
- Meat production is a leading cause of clearing forests and grasslands, especially in the Amazon region.
- About 75% of tropical deforestation is due to agriculture, including land for grazing and growing feed for animals.
- This destroys carbon-storing trees and many wildlife habitats, putting thousands of species at risk.
Water Usage and Pollution
- Producing beef uses about 2,400 gallons of water per pound.
- Livestock manure and farm chemicals pollute rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, creating ‘dead zones’ where little can survive.
- A notable example was a toxic algae outbreak in Ohio in 2014 that left 400,000 people without water.
Land Damage and Loss of Biodiversity
- Livestock grazing can lead to soil erosion, weaker soil, and less productive land over time.
- Destroying habitats for new pastures pushes more animals and plants towards extinction by breaking up wild populations.
Air Pollution Around Livestock Farms
Large animal farms, known as CAFOs, often create local air pollution, including ammonia and other chemicals that cause strong odors and health problems for nearby people. These pollutants are much more concentrated than on smaller farms.
How Meat Production Fuels Deforestation
Clearing Natural Areas for Animals and Feed
- The ongoing demand for meat fuels the clearing of rainforests and grasslands, especially in countries like Brazil.
- Forests are replaced by cattle ranches or crops like soy, mostly to feed pigs and chickens.
Impact on Wildlife
- Losing forests and grasslands destroys habitats for thousands of species.
- Fragmented natural areas make it harder for animals to survive, leading some closer to extinction. For example, over 10,000 species in the Amazon are threatened by habitat loss.
Greenhouse Gases from Raising Animals
Methane Released by Cows
- Cows and other grazing animals release methane as they digest food, which is a very strong greenhouse gas (86 times stronger than CO2 over 20 years).
- Livestock is responsible for about 37% of methane emissions globally.
CO2 and Nitrous Oxide
- Growing crops, using machines, and clearing forests for meat all produce carbon dioxide.
- Animal manure and fertilizer release nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas about 298 times as strong as carbon dioxide over 100 years.
- All together, animal agriculture produces between 11-19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Meat Production and Water Resources
Water Used for Feed and Animals
- Most water used in meat production goes into growing feed (corn, soy, etc.)
- Animals also need drinking water, and farms use water for cleaning and processing meat.
Water Pollution
- Livestock in the U.S. produce about 500 million tons of manure each year.
- This, along with fertilizers and pesticides, often runs off into water, causing algae blooms and ‘dead zones’ where fish and other creatures can’t survive.
- Water pollution can harm people, pets, and wild animals, and can make water unsafe to drink.
How Factory Farms Harm the Environment
Waste Problems in Large Farms
- Factory farms crowd together thousands of animals, causing massive waste build-up.
- This waste is stored in big lagoons; if it leaks or spills, it can pollute rivers and groundwater with bacteria, hormones, and chemicals.
- Breaking down this waste also leads to foul smells and local air pollution.
Soil Erosion and Fertilizer Runoff
- Growing animal feed crops over and over again weakens the soil and makes it easy for wind and rain to wash it away.
- Using a lot of fertilizer (to fix our poor soil) adds to runoff problems, sending even more chemicals into rivers and lakes, making water pollution worse.
Are Some Meats Worse for the Environment?
Environmental Impacts by Meat Type
| Meat Type | CO2 Footprint | Land Use | Water Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | 23 – 27.2 kg CO2eq per kg | Very high (up to 18x kidney beans) | Very high |
| Pork | 4.6 kg CO2eq per kg | Lower than beef | Lower than beef |
| Poultry | 5.52 kg CO2eq per kg | Lower than beef | Lower than beef |
| Fish (wild/farmed) | Varies | Lower/Varies | Lower/Varies |
- Beef has the highest impact on the environment, needing the most land and producing the most pollution.
- Pork and chicken are less damaging, but still use a lot of resources.
- Fish can cause harm by overfishing or farm waste.
Is Grass-Fed or Organic Meat Better?
- Grass-fed animals have more room and might create less concentrated manure, but they still need a lot of land and may make more methane overall.
- Organic meat avoids many chemicals, but raising animals organically still takes up land and water.
- Both are somewhat better than factory-farmed meat but still have a greater environmental impact than plant-based options.
Does Eating Less Meat Help the Environment?
Plant-Based vs. Meat-Based Diets
- Switching to a plant-based diet can cut your food-related carbon emissions by more than half.
- A high-meat diet can produce about 7.19 kg of CO2 per day, while vegan diets only produce about 2.89 kg.
- Plant-based foods need less land, water, and other resources than meat. For example, beans use about 1/18th as much land as beef for the same amount of protein.
Climate-Friendly Meat Consumption
- Most experts agree meat consumption in rich countries needs to drop a lot to make diets sustainable.
- Even replacing meat just one day a week with plant foods can do more for the planet than eating all local meat.
- At current levels, there isn’t really a ‘sustainable’ way to eat large amounts of meat.
What Can Be Done to Fix These Problems?
Eat Less Meat
- Eating meat less often-by choosing more plant-based meals or following vegetarian or vegan diets-lowers demand for environmentally damaging products.
- Reducing intake of all animal products (meat, eggs, dairy) has a positive effect.
- There are many easy swaps: beans, nuts, tofu, seeds, and others provide lots of protein and nutrients.
Policy and Industry Action
- Governments can encourage better farming practices, conserve land, and set limits for pollution and water use.
- At the industry level, meat companies can look for cleaner ways to raise animals, handle waste, and find feed sources that use fewer resources.
- Taxes or other financial measures could be put in place to reflect the true environmental cost of meat.
New Proteins and Better Farming Methods
- Plant-based meats, lab-grown meats, and insect proteins use much fewer resources than traditional meat.
- Farming methods that improve soil, store carbon, and protect wildlife (like regenerative agriculture) can help reduce damage from producing food.
Frequently Asked Questions About Meat and the Environment
How can I get enough protein without eating meat?
- Most people eat more protein than they need. It’s easy to meet your needs with beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, nuts, seeds, and even vegetables.
- Varied plant foods offer all the important amino acids your body needs and often come with healthy fiber and less harmful fat.
Is a plant-based diet always better for the planet?
- In general, plant-based diets are much easier on the environment.
- However, eating lots of highly processed or flown-in ingredients can still have a higher footprint than a local, carefully chosen meat diet. Fresh, local plant foods are usually best.
- Much of the world’s soy is used for animal feed. Eating less meat means less pressure to grow soy, which helps prevent deforestation.
What about eggs and dairy?
- Eggs and dairy also put pressure on resources and cause pollution.
- Dairy cattle produce methane, and manure from dairy and egg farms can pollute water the same way as meat production does.
- Replacing these with plant milks, cheeses, and egg alternatives leads to lower impact.
Does food waste add to the problem?
- Wasting food, especially meat, means all the water, energy, and resources that went into producing it were also wasted.
- About 40% of U.S. food is thrown out, including large amounts of meat.
- Food in landfills releases methane as it rots, making climate change worse.
- Cutting food waste is an important part of helping make our diets more sustainable.
