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Environmental  Impacts of Eating Animals

Environmental Impacts of Eating Animals

To all the vegans and vegetarians out there, you have got a point to reflect on while being on a diet plan. Being on a vegan diet, you are actually helping out the environment in healing procedures.

Now, we all are very much aware of the fact that eating animals can have many ethical issues for religious as well as humanity purposes. Other than ethics there are many other issues which can be resolved by turning a vegetarian.

For starters, let’s start with the fact that raising animals requires large amounts of land, food, energy, and water. Many of the non vegetarians prove their fact by saying that not eating animals will disrupt the food chain or their culture and regional differences have got no choice.

To prepare the land used to raise animals requires various fundamental components. Instead of cultivating crops, trees are cut down for a grazing farm, sheds and factory farm. The soil also loses the fertility capability.

In fact, there are many reasons which can lead to degradation of the environment and affect mankind. To clear some of the impacts, this article will give you a little knowledge about the meat industry.

CHANGE IN CLIMATE

Livestock farming can increase the greenhouse effect in the environment. Animal agriculture leads to the degradation of the natural resources of the environment.

The meat production itself leads to the emission of greenhouse gases and other polluted matter. The meat production chain has been observed to produce endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, dust, methane, CO and nitrous oxide.

These emissions in the environment can be noticed to lead to the water and land degradation, acid rains and deforestation. If we look into it more deeply then you might also notice biodiversity loss and coral reef degeneration.

All of these causes are solely responsible for all the climatic changes. Climatic changes in the environment might lead to unpredictable weather such as drought, flood, rainless weather or heat waves.

These greenhouse gases or the emission of these gases are also responsible for human health. People might experience deteriorating health. To be specific people who are born with certain lung conditions can have difficulty in breathing and can even die.

There have been many reports which are registered for respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and COPD.

If you live near a factory farm or livestock, then you might notice a change in your health.

WATER USAGE

Human population has always been inconsiderate for the usage of water and meat consumption wastes all the more water.

The reports suggest that approximately 1/3rd of the water is used to feed the cattle and other animals. This excess usage of water not only disrupts the quantity and quality of the water but also can bring the drought to the river which can lead to extinction of the fishes.

Instead of the usage of water to produce crops and carry on with the irrigation, the fresh water is used in the production of livestock. There are certain regions in the United States which have depleted the groundwater.

Not only this, the leftover water is directed to the river or the freshwater source. Many times billions of people tend to take their livestock to the rivers and other sources for bath and feeding purposes. It depletes the water quality and also transfers the germs to the water source.

It has become a major cause for the water pollution and fishes have come on a verge of extinction because of the lack of oxygen in water.

LAND USAGE

It is known by almost everyone that if you want to raise animals in your farm, you not only need millions of acres of land but also need to have grass to graze them. Grazing is one of the most important phases of the meat industry.

At times, when there is uncertainty in the time period, animals tend to overgraze. Overgrazing is the major cause for the poor land quality. It degrades the land quality by removal of all the important nutrients from the soil and making it unfertile.

The health standards of the land are declined to a certain level that it directly leads to soil erosion. In places which are dry in weather might never regain their soil fertility.

Human population tries to reuse the land which has already been grazed. It increases the carbon and nitrogen gases in the soil which further results in the greenhouse gas emission.

Millions of people also cut trees for the sake of a large acres of land. This leads to deforestation and ultimately changes the climate in horrible ways.

POLLUTION

Pollution has always been a very wide topic since ages. There are many causes and reasons which lead to pollution.

One of those causes is also livestock production. For grazing purposes, the grass is sprayed with certain chemical compounds which can make the animals fit and healthy. But these chemicals can be unhealthy for the land and also human health. This leads to land pollution.

The water usage in the farm factory is very high in quantity which declines the water quantity. Also the degradation of the water in rivers or any other source leads to water pollution.

The factories for the meat production require various machines which can emit many harmful greenhouse gases and particulate matter. These chemical compounds also result in air pollution.

HEALTH IMPACT

It surely isn’t any environmental factor but it is also most important for the humankind. The meat consumption or animal eating habit can be very harmful for your health.

It is definite and without any doubt that it contains many macronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins but it contains a high amount of fat as well.

The animal eating habit increases the bad cholesterol level in the body that is LDL. It leads to stroke, heart diseases and even diabetes.

Vegan lifestyle will not have unknown risks to your body instead will help you to remain healthy. Fruits and vegetables provide the vegan society with natural macronutrients.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

The animal feed which is provided to the poultry or livestock might contain various bacteria and cause resistant infections. It creates antibodies inside our body. That is why it is known as antibiotic resistance.The human consumption of meat can affect health and give humans a disease.

It is definitely your choice if you want to consume meat, pork and seafood or not but you are not benefiting the environment. The food chain makes its own way whereas mankind has started the production of hybrid food. This hybrid food is not a part of the food chain.

Having a plant based diet, vegan or vegetarian diet is the simplest way to lead a healthy lifestyle. It not only will have health benefits but will prevent you from any kind of adverse effects from animal products. Also, vegan products are easier to cook than meat and dairy.

Save the world!

 

 

 

 

 

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