Environment

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Water

Usage

Animal agriculture water consumption ranges from 34-76 trillion gallons annually.[1][2][3]

Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption. [1][4]
Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US. [1][5]
2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef. [1][6][3][7][8][9][10]
477 gallons of water are required to produce 1lb. of eggs;  almost 900 gallons of water are needed for 1lb. of cheese.[1][9][11]
1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.[1][12][13]
5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture. [1][5]
Animal Agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all fresh water consumption in the world today.  [1][13][14][15][16]
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Waste

Production

Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food in the US.[1][17][18][19]

130 times more animal waste than human waste is produced in the US – 1.4 billion tons from the meat industry annually. 5 tons of animal waste is produced per person in the US.[1][20]
In the U.S. livestock produce 116,000 lbs of waste per second:
-Dairy Cows, 120 lbs. of waste per day x 9.32 million dairy cows

-Cows,  63 lbs. of waste per day x 83.68 million cows

-Calves, 30 lbs. of waste per day x 34.3 million calves

-Pigs, 14 lbs. of waste per day x 74 million pigs

-Sheep and Goats, 5 lbs. of waste per day x 7.84 million sheep and goats

-Turkeys, .87 lbs. of waster per day x 77 million turkeys

-Broiler Chickens, .50 lbs. of waste per day x 1.74 billion broiler chickens

-Laying Hens, .25 lbs. of waster per day x 350.7 million laying hens

*pigs are raised twice per year, (a total of 148.3 million per year) so on any given day in the United States there are about 74 million pigs.

*turkeys are raised three times per year (a total of 233 million per year) so on any given day in the United States there are 77 million turkeys.

*broiler chickens are raised 5 times per year, (a total of 8.69 billion per year) so any given day there are 1.74 billion broiler chickens.

Dairy Cows produce (120 lbs. x 9.32 m.) = 1.1184 billion lbs.

Cows produce (63 lbs. x 83.68 m.) = 5.27184 billion lbs.

Calves produce (30 lbs. x 34.3 m.) = 1.029 billion lbs.

Pigs produce (14 lbs. x 74.0 m.) = 1.036 billion lbs.

Sheep and Goats produce (5 lbs. x 7.84 m.) = 39.2 million lbs.

Turkeys produce (.87 lbs. x 77.0 m.) = 66.99 million lbs.

Broiler Chickens produce (.5 x 1.74 b.) = 870 million lbs.

Laying Hens produce (.25 x 350.7 m.) = 87.675 million lbs.

*Total manure produced in one day is 9.519105 billion lbs.

*Total manure produced in one year is 3.475 trillion lbs.

*This is the equivalent of over 6.611 million lbs. per minute. (This does not include any animal raised outside of USDA Jurisdiction, backyards or fish raised for aquaculture)[1]

As many as 40% (63 billion pounds) of fish caught globally every year are discarded.[21][22][1]
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Rainforest

Destruction

Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.[1][23][24][25][26]

1-2 acres of rainforest are cleared every second.[1][27][28][29][30][31]
The leading causes of rainforest destruction are livestock and feedcrops.[1][32][33][34]
Up to 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day due to rainforest destruction.[1][35][36][37][38]
136 million rainforest acres cleared for animal agriculture.[1][39][40]
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Oceans

Depletion

3/4 of the world’s fisheries are exploited or depleted.[1][41][42]

We could see fishless oceans by 2048.[1][43][44][45]
90-100 million tons of fish are pulled from our oceans each year.[46][1]
As many as 2.7 trillion animals are pulled from the ocean each year.[47][1]
For every 1 pound of fish caught, up to 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as by-kill.  [48][1]
Scientists estimate as many as 650,000 whales, dolphins and seals are killed every year by fishing vessels.[21][22]
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Greenhouse Gasses

Emissions

Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.[49][1]

Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.[1][50][51][52]
Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years.[1][49][53]
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Land

Usage

Livestock or livestock feed occupies 1/3 of the earth’s ice-free land.[1][54][55]

Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land.[1][56]
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction. [1][57][58][49][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]
Livestock operations on land have created more than 500 nitrogen flooded deadzones around the world in our oceans.[1][69][66]
2-5 acres of land are used per cow.[1][70][26]
1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.[1][12][13]
5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture. [1][5]
Animal Agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all fresh water consumption in the world today.  [1][13][14][15][16]
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Conclusions

Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food

“Our study provides a comparative analysis of the health and climate change benefits of global dietary changes for all major world regions. We project that health and climate change benefits will both be greater the lower the fraction of animal-sourced foods in our diets.”[71]

Meta-Analysis

“Today, and probably into the future, dietary change can deliver environmental benefits on a scale not achievable by producers. Moving from current diets to a diet that excludes animal products has transformative potential, reducing food’s land use by 3.1 (2.8 to 3.3) billion ha (a 76% reduction), including a 19% reduction in arable land; food’s GHG emissions by 6.6 (5.5 to 7.4) billion metric tons of CO2eq (a 49% reduction); acidification by 50% (45 to 54%); eutrophication by 49% (37 to 56%); and scarcity-weighted freshwater withdrawals by 19% (−5 to 32%) for a 2010 reference year.

In addition to the reduction in food’s annual GHG emissions, the land no longer required for food production could remove ~8.1 billion metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year over 100 years as natural vegetation reestablishes and soil carbon re-accumulates, based on simulations conducted in the IMAGE integrated assessment model.

For the United States, where per capita meat consumption is three times the global average, dietary change has the potential for a far greater effect on food’s different emissions, reducing them by 61 to 73%.”[66]

“‘A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use,’ said Joseph Poore, at the University of Oxford, UK, who led the research. ‘It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,’ he said, as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions.” [72]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts
  2. ↑ "Summary of Estimated Water Use in the United States in 2005". United States Geological Service
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pimentel, David, et al. "Water Resources: Agricultural and Environmental Issues". BioScience. (2004) 54 (10): 909-918
  4. ↑ "How Important is Irrigation to U.S. Agriculture?" USDA: Economic Research Service. 12 October, 2016
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jacobson, Michael F. “Six Arguments For a Greener Diet: How a More Plant-based Diet Could Save Your Health and the Environment. Chapter 4: More and Cleaner Water”. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2006.
  6. ↑ Robbins, John. "2,500 gallons all wet?" Earth Save: Healthy People Healthy Planet.
  7. ↑ "Water Content of Things: Data Table 19". The World's Water 2008-2009
  8. ↑ Beckett, J. L, Oltjen, J. W "Estimation of the Water Requirement for Beef Production in the United States". Journal of Animal Science. 1993. 71:818-826
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Water". Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/interactive-graphic/water/
  10. ↑ "Water footprint of crop and animal products: a comparison". Water Footprint Network.
  11. ↑ "Food Facts: How Much Water Does it Take to Produce...?" Water Education Foundation. https://www.watereducation.org/post/food-facts-how-much-water-does-it-take-produce
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hoekstra, Arjen Y. "The water footprint of food". Water for Food.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Mekonnen, Mesfin M. & Hoekstra, Arjen Y. "A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products". Ecosystems (2012) 15: 401-415
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gerbens-Leenes, P.W. et al. "The water footprint of poultry, pork and beef: A comparitive study in different countries and production systems". Water Resources and Industry. Vol. 1-2, March-June 2013, Pages 25-36
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Herrero, Mario, et al. "Biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock systems". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. vol. 110 no. 52
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Oppenlander DDS, Richard. "Freshwater Abuse and Loss. Where Is It All Going?" Forks over Knives. May 20,2013
  17. ↑ "Animal Manure Management". USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service. RCA Issue Bief #7. December 1995
  18. ↑ "Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook". USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service. Part 651
  19. ↑ "Agricultural Waste Characteristics". Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook. USDA. Chapter 4
  20. ↑ "Animal Agriculture: Waste Management Practices". United States General Accounting Office. July 1999
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Keledjian, Amanda, et al. "Wasted Catch: Unsolved Problems in U.S. Fisheries". Oceana. March 2014
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Goldenberg, Suzanne. "America's nine most wasteful fisheries named". The Guardian. 20 March 2014
  23. ↑ Margulis, Sergio. "Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon". World Bank Working Paper No. 22. 2003
  24. ↑ Tabuchi, Hiroko, Rigny, Claire & White, Jeremy. "Amazon Deforestation, Once Tames, Comes Roaring Back". New York Times. February 2017
  25. ↑ Bellantonio, Marisa, et al. "The Ultimate Mystery Meat: Exposing the Secrets Behind Burger King and Global Meat Production". Mighty Earth
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work.
  27. ↑ "Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World's Rainforests". Scientific American
  28. ↑ Butler, Rhett. "10 Rainforest Facts for 2017". Mongabay.com. January, 2017
  29. ↑ "Avoiding Unsustainable Rainforest Wood". Rainforest Relief
  30. ↑ Reid, Walter V. & Miller, Kenton R. "Keeping Options Alive: The Scientific Basis for Conserving Biodiveristy". World Resources Institute. October 1989
  31. ↑ "Tropical Deforestation". National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Facts
  32. ↑ Butler, Rhett. "Cattle Ranching's Impact on the Rainforest". Mongabay.com. July 2012
  33. ↑ Veiga, J.B., et al. "Cattle Ranching in the Amazon Rainforest". UN: Food and Agriculture Oragnization
  34. ↑ "Soy Agriculture in the Amazon Basin". Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sudies: Global Forest Atlas
  35. ↑ "The Disappearing Rainforests". Save the Amazon.org
  36. ↑ "What is Deforestation?" Kids.Mongabay.com
  37. ↑ Message from Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf. Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity. United Nations Economic Programme
  38. ↑ Vidal, John. "Protect nature for world economic security, warns UN biodiversity chief". The Guardian. August 2010
  39. ↑ Butler, Rhett. "Amazon Destruction". Mongabay.com. January 2017
  40. ↑ Butler, Rhett A. "Brazilian beef giant announces moratorium on rainforest beef". Mongabay. August 2009
  41. ↑ "Overfishing: a threat to marine biodiversity". United Nations Environment Programme
  42. ↑ "General situation of world fish stocks". United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
  43. ↑ Worm, Boris, et al. "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services". Science. Vol 314. 3 November 2006
  44. ↑ Roach, John. "Seafood May Be Gone by 2048, Study Says". National Geographic News.  November 2, 2006
  45. ↑ Montaigne, Fen. "Still Waters: The Global Fish Crisis". National Geographic
  46. ↑ "World Review of Fisheries and Aquaculture: Part 1". United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
  47. ↑ [http://www.fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf Mood, A & Brooke, P. "Estimating the Number of Fish Caught in Global Fishing Each Year". July 2010 "Fish count estimates". Fishcount.org.uk]
  48. ↑ "Discard and bycatch in Shrimp trawl fisheries". FAO: Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 "Livestock's Long Shadow: environmental issues and options". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome 2006
  50. ↑ Goodland, Robert & Anhang, Jeff. "Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change are...cows, pigs and chickens?". WorldWatch. November/December 2009
  51. ↑ Hickman, Martin. "Study claims meat creates half of all greenhouse gases". Independent. November 2009
  52. ↑ Hyner, Christopher. "A Leading Cause of Everything: One Industry That Is Destroying Our Planet and Our Ability to Thrive on It". Georgetown Environmental Law Review. October 23, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States". U.S. Energy Information Administration. March 31, 2011
  54. ↑ "Livestock a major threat to environment. Remedies urgently needed". FAO Newsroom. 29 November 2006
  55. ↑ Walsh, Bryan. "The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production". Time. Dec. 16, 2013
  56. ↑ Thornton, Phillip, et al. "Livestock and climate change". Livestock xchange. International Livestock Research Institute. November 2011
  57. ↑ "Biodiversity and Food Choice: A Clarification". comfortablyunaware: Global Depletion and Food Choice Responsibility. June 9, 2012
  58. ↑ "Freshwater Depletion: Realities of Choice". comfortablyunaware: Global Depletion and Food Choice Responsibility. November 25, 2014
  59. ↑ "Nutrient Pollution: The Problem". Environmental Protection Agency
  60. ↑ Hogan, C Michael. "Causes of Extinction". The Encyclopedia of Earth. June 13, 2014
  61. ↑ "The Habitable Planet. Unit 9: Biodiversity Decline// Section 7: Habitat Loss: Causes and Consequences". Annenberg Learner
  62. ↑ "Impact of habitat loss on species". WWF Global
  63. ↑ "How Eating Meat Hurts Wildlife and the Planet". Take Extinction Off Your Plate: a project of the Center for Biological Diversity.
  64. ↑ Machovina, Brian, et al. "Biodiversity conservation: The key is reducing meat consumption". Science of the Total Environment 536 (2015) 419-431
  65. ↑ "Risk Management Evaluation for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2004Hance, Jeremy. "How humans are driving the sixth mass extinction". The Guardian. 20 October 2015
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 Zielinski, Sarah. "Ocean Dead Zones Are Getting Worse Globally Due to Climate Change". Smithsonian.com. November 10, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":10" defined multiple times with different content
  67. ↑ Tilman, David, et al. "Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices". Nature 418, 671-677. August 2002
  68. ↑ Wilcove, David S, et al. "Quantifying Threats to Imperiled Species in the United States". BioScience. Vol. 48, No. 8 (Aug., 1998) pp. 607-615
  69. ↑ "NOAA-, EPA-supported scientists find average but large Gulf dead zone". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 4, 2014
  70. ↑ McBride, William D., Mathews Jr., Kenneth. "The Diverse Structure and Organization of U.S. Beef Cow-Calf Farms". USDA: Economic Research Service. Number 73. March 2011
  71. ↑ Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. M Springmann, HCJ Godfray, M Rayner, P Scarborough. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (15), 4146-4151
  72. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

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