According to the United Nations, the global livestock sector is responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger share than that of transport. Animal agriculture is responsible for 37 per cent of anthropogenic methane, which has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2, and 65 per cent of anthropogenic nitrous oxide. On the ground, people in surrounding communities know how bad this really is. Communities living near factory farms report higher than normal rates of respiratory problems, of headaches, nausea and fatigue. The agriculture sector is the largest user of freshwater resources. In 2000, agriculture accounted for 70 per cent of water use and 93 per cent of water depletion worldwide. Large areas of carbon dioxide-absorbing forests are cut down to grow grain to feed animals. It takes over 10 kilograms of grain to produce one kilo of meat, and the need for vast quantities of grain typically means liberal doses of artificial fertilisers and the use of large volumes of water.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 03:54:31 +0000
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