Environmental Impact of Raising Animals for Food
According to climate research, animal agriculture accounts for more human-caused (anthropogenic) greenhouse gases (GHGs) than all transportation combined.
Some go even farther and conclude the livestock industry is responsible for more than half of all human-caused greenhouse gases.
The United Nations Environment Programme has stated that a global shift away from meat, dairy and eggs is crucial when addressing world hunger, poverty, and climate change.
So why are meat, dairy, and eggs so bad for the planet? This infographic by designer Spencer Belkofer helps breaks it down:
To put things even more in perspective, the Worldwatch Institute notes:
“It has become apparent that the human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future—deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.”
Our Better Choices page provides free materials to make meaningful diet change easier.