Guest Caspia Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Raising animals for meat contributes to global warming. Thats a fact. Here are some more: Resource Depletion Land o Every second, 1 football field worth of rainforest is destroyed to make 257 hamburgers. o More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest has been cleared to create cropland to feed farm animals. o 70% of deforested land in the Amazon is used for pasture for livestock; a lot of the other 30% is used for feed crop for livestock. o 80% of all agricultural land in the U.S. is used to farm animals. Animals o Every 1lb. of shrimp causes 10lb. of marine life to die. o Grazing land for livestock is the #1 cause for endangered and extinct species. Water o 1lb. of beef uses 2,500-5,000 gallons of water; showering for 6 month uses 5,200 gallons. It takes only 25 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of wheat. o The meat industry uses nearly half of all water. o A vegan diet requires only 300 gallons per day, while a meat-eater requires 4,000 gallons per day. Fuel o A cow that eats corn uses 284 gallons of oil. o In the U.S. one-third of all fossil-fuels are used to raise animals for food. Food o Livestock eat 70% of grain in the U.S. o It takes up to 16lb. of grain to produce 1lb. of meat. o The wheat in 1 beef patty represents the amount in 5 loaves of bread. o 1.4 million people could be fed with the grain the U.S. feeds to cattle. Pollution Waste o Animals raised for food produce 89,000lb. of waste per second. o The run-off from factory farms pollutes more than all other industrial sources combined. o A swine farm with 5,000 pigs creates as much waste as a city of 50,000 people. o Farmed animals’ feces contain pesticides, antibiotics, and powerful growth hormones which harm the environment. Water Pollution o Animal farming contributes the largest part of water pollution. o Chicken, hog, and cattle excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. o Nitrogen in animal feces causes algae population to soar, which uses up the oxygen in the water which kills other marine life. o Pfiesteria, a deadly microbe that has killed billions of fish, is believed to have originated from sewage run-off from pig and poultry farms o About 80% of ammonia emissions come from animal waste. Ammonia can severely harm water ecosystems and is very toxic to fish. o In the past 50 years, 90% of the large fish population has disappeared. Global Warming o Refusing meat is the single, most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. o The meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all vehicles in the world combined. o Eating 1lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving a Hummer 40 miles. o If every American switch one meal of chicken to a vegetarian option, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking a half-million cars of the road. Air o Studies have shown that animal waste emits toxic airborne chemicals that can cause inflammatory, immune, irritation and neurochemical problems in humans. I'm a vegetarian and I did a project on this. Believe me, I know my stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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