How Do Our Diets Affect Our Water?
Did you know that livestock hydration in the United States
accounts for half of consumed water? A single cow can drink up to 50 gallons of
water per day, twice that if it is hot outside. It takes 683 gallons of water
to produce one gallon of milk, and 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound
of beef. One pound of tofu requires 244 gallons of water. A person with a vegan
diet saves approximately 219,000 gallons of water per year.
The average consumer in the United States requires over two
and a half acres of agricultural land for diet sustenance. Vegetarian diets require
less than half an acre of land per person each year.
According to the UN, the livestock sector is the largest
source of global water pollution. Livestock in the United States alone produce
more excrement than five and a half times the world’s human population. There
are no animal sewage treatment plants, so manure, containing antibiotics,
hormones, pesticides, heavy metals, and protozoa, is piped into open lagoons
where harmful substances leach into groundwater. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen
sulfide, ammonia, and methane are released from the lagoons into the
atmosphere, contributing greatly to greenhouse gasses and acid rain.
Some of the manure is used to spray over crops, resulting in E. Coli outbreaks from plant food even though E. Coli
is an animal pathogen. E. Coli is not the
only manure-related danger—animal waste can pass over 40 diseases to humans. When it rains, or
when these plant crops are over-watered, the sprayed manure runs off into
streams and rivers, or enters the groundwater.
Streams and rivers suffer greatly from animal agriculture.
Livestock trample stream and riverbanks, killing vegetation and loosening soil.
Banks erode, dirtying the water and harming aquatic life. Livestock manure
creates an excess of nutrients in water, leading to algal blooms that deplete
oxygen and kill aquatic creatures. In the United States alone, 40 per cent of
rivers and streams are impaired. The leading cause is animal agriculture.
Deforestation is driven largely by animal agriculture. As
farmers seek more pastureland, carbon-dioxide absorbing forests are destroyed
to make way for livestock. The removal of trees and plants along streams and
riverbanks leaves the water without shade. Many species of fish that humans eat
require cool water temperatures to survive and reproduce. The removal of trees
and shade along the banks of water causes water temperatures to rise, making it
impossible for many fish to survive.
One third of the world’s crops are dedicated to producing
livestock feed rather than human food. If we were to transition towards
plant-based diets, we would reduce the need for pastureland and land used to
grow livestock feed. This extra land could be reforested, leading to carbon
dioxide absorption and the replenishment of ecosystems and biodiversity.
Although agriculture is the United States’ biggest
contributor to water pollution, it often goes unpunished. The Clean Water Act
of 1972 left agriculture regulation up to the states—the biggest pollution
issue at the time was pollution from industry. Most states have been relaxed
towards agricultural operations, offering taxpayer money to help farmers stop
pollution rather than fining farmers to deter them from polluting.
HOW CAN WE REDUCE
POLLUTION FROM ANIMAL AGRICULTURE?
We can reduce pollution from animal agriculture by reducing
the demand for animal products. The fewer animal products we eat, the less
livestock is needed, and the less manure-related pollution leaches into our
water sources, our atmosphere, and our plant food.
If the world’s population became vegetarian by 2050, we
would experience a 60% drop in food-related emissions. If the world’s
population became vegan in that same time span, food-related emissions would
drop 70%.
It may not be realistic to ask for a vegan or vegetarian
world. Meat is a deep-rooted and important part of many cultures. But if people can
reduce their consumption of animal products and choose plant products with more
frequency, we would experience a vital decline in greenhouse gas emissions and
water pollution, and we would see a much healthier population. People with plant-based diets are less likely to experience coronary heart disease,
diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
Would you consider reducing your consumption of animal products? Would you consider a vegan or vegetarian diet? We would love to hear your thoughts—please share in the comments below!
Would you consider reducing your consumption of animal products? Would you consider a vegan or vegetarian diet? We would love to hear your thoughts—please share in the comments below!
Our project is working in harmony with water.org to provide access to safe water. We hope “to break the cycle of poverty”, “to protect and save lives”, and “to make a bright future possible for all”: Make A Difference Donation
Sources:
https://qz.com/749443/being-vegan-isnt-as-environmentally-friendly-as-you-think/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?newsID=20772
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp0cKfnxX3U&list=LLVMPCYxejrS-ZC9lgU2w1fw&index=1198
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?newsID=20772
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp0cKfnxX3U&list=LLVMPCYxejrS-ZC9lgU2w1fw&index=1198
This fact - "A person with a vegan diet saves approximately 219,000 gallons of water per year." Is a hug number. What does that look like in terms of swimming pools? ?or per 10 people? What does it look like if 100 people cut meat consumption ten percent?
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