Scientists have long analyzed the
most ecologically sustainable diet. As the United States’ consumption of beef
is the highest in the world, the question has been asked exactly what
environmental repercussions our dietary decisions have created. The harsh facts
are that beef requires thirty times as much land as other meat alternatives per
calorie, six times as much feed per pound in comparison to pork, and the animal
has been described as “ a fundamentally inefficient animal” (Chain). Chain looked at the alternative option of
grass-fed cattle, but the higher amounts of methane released, higher costs, and
the lack of land for such efforts makes this an unfeasible alternative. In
conclusion, Chain states that multiple studies have shown that vegetarian or primarily
vegetarian diets have half the carbon footprint of their meat-eating
counterparts. Chain declares that any meat reduction will make our diets more
sustainable- it’s all about moderation.
A large
problem regarding Americans’ diets is that they do not understand the
ecological effects their food consumption has on the planet. Increased public education and awareness
should curve people into making better dietary decisions. In addition, since
the government controls farmers’ subsidies, they should require a higher animal
to land ratio to improve land productivity in beef. Issues with these solutions
include gaining funding for adequate public campaigns and the dependence of
political parties on farmers as a voting block, thus individuals running do not
want to alienate voter by pushing beef productivity as an issue on a political
agenda.
The topic
of sustainable diets is something that is very important to me, as I am a
pescatarian. I started this lifestyle because I was shocked by the fact that
the world could feed everyone, but livestock’s low land productivity leaves
many third world countries short of food supplies. Coming from a predominately
southern family and eating situation had shaped me into an uneducated food
consumer- and I am a strong believer that it is Americans’ lack of knowledge
that results in high dietary carbon emissions. However, I am hopeful that the
younger, more health conscience generation will put the food emissions back in
balance as vegetarianism and an other healthy lifestyles have become more
common.
I found this article very enlightening, because I was unaware about the extent animal products affected the environment. As you stated, a lot of families shape their traditions around food. With this being said, many people grow up uneducated about how these foods damage the environment. People fail to realize that just by reducing the amount of beef they consume, they can save farmers money and preserve land. Placing a higher reliance on fish or chicken, at this point, would be a better option. These animals are lean, which is a healthier alternative for gaining vitamins and protein. Also, fish and chicken are smaller, using little to no land and eating smaller portions, saving farmers money. Although efforts are being increased to reduce the amount of methane cows release when grazing, the methods that have been discovered have been deemed unfeasible for these large animals.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point to make about how our diets impact our planet. Personally, this is one of the primary reasons that I am a strict vegetarian. I was not raised a vegetarian, I and was completely unaware of how meat production changed the environment until a few years ago. Americans really know how to over consume, and meat production is no exception. Though beef production may be the worst, I do know that chicken farming is also unsustainable due of the amount of grain they consume and because of the amount of waste they produce from being factory farmed. I think that Americans should pay more attention to where their food actually originates from, and how it changes the Earth. Do you know if fish production has a harmful impact on the environment? Here is a link that I found on how chicken production is unsustainable as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2005/11/14/2003280147
I agree with the point that you made about this article. It's hard to believe that there are environmental reprocussions that come with doing a weekly or even daily eating of beef. We need the land that the livestock uses for supplie of daily food needs. It just comes as a shock because we need both live stock and other food needs to survive. I feel that we need to start thinking about where our food comes from, and what goes to making the food that we eat on a daily basis. Maybe in the next few generations, we can learn that there are other ways of eating that does not involve overuse of livestock.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this it made me realize what an affect we have on the environment. Even our diets effect have repercussions. Personally, the only meat that I eat is chicken and some fish. My reason for that is personal preference. Reading this article made me thankful that I don't like a lot of meats. I 100% agree with you when it comes to people not being educated about their actions. It's the problem with so many environmental issues. I'm strongly considering cutting out meats all together to lower my carbon footprint.
ReplyDelete