Living Ethics Journal

By Ethan Bingemann.

Livestock is a crucial industry for many developing nations and has a huge effect on the world economy. More than 6 million animals are killed every minute, with a total of 70 billion killed every year. Livestock is a terribly inefficient use of our planet’s resources and is very harmful to the environment, responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions [1]. Livestock farming uses 92% of the world’s fresh water and creates substantial amounts of animal waste. African countries such as Niger, Madagascar, Malawi, and Tanzania depend heavily on livestock, with 44-79 per cent of rural households keeping livestock in 2013 [2].

It is apparent that the meat industry cannot maintain this harmful pace for the next 30 years, and as such, we need to address this issue now. As a joint community, it is necessary to promote and incentivize plant-based meat alternatives. Meat is a large part of many economies, with a greater impact on weaker economies, but the livestock industry must slowly get smaller, and more government regulations should be put in place against carbon emissions due to livestock. Manure remains a prominent issue, however, livestock industries can use soil amendment to enrich the soil and not waste manure. Governments have a responsibility to implement these rules and regulations to limit livestock gas emissions, and now is the time to do so. 

Sources:

1.https://www.downtoearth.org.in/factsheet/how-livestock-farming-affects-the-environment-64218

2.https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/economy/quick-facts-about-the-world-s-livestock-economy-54826

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k-V3ESHcfA

4.https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ks/newsroom/features/?cid=nrcs142p2_033528

5.https://njaes.rutgers.edu/animal-waste-management/what-is-an-awmp.php

6.https://www.statista.com/statistics/983012/catttle-number-heads-argentina/

7.https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f9d04dc5a8e34972bdcfca4a13de42bb