Shanklin 1

Noah Shanklin
ENG 180
Prof. Chapman
20 November 2015
The Problem with Meat
Our country is suffering not just economically or socially but we are suffering
environmentally. The root of our problems is the meat industry and our addiction to cheap fast
food made from meat that comes from an industry destroying our land, air, water, and other
species in the process of conducting animal agriculture. However the problem is as a country,
America doesnt see our over consumption of meat as something that is impacting the
environment. The most used phrase when it comes to the Earth falling apart is global warming
and that everyone needs to go green and drive a Prius to save our Earth. When in reality
transportation exhaust is only accountable for 13% of greenhouse gases emitted into our
atmosphere. Animal agricultural on the other hand, 18%, according to Damian Carrington, author
of Giving up Beef Will Reduce Carbon Footprint More than Cars written in The Guardian. Not
many people are sure exactly how cows and other livestock produce greenhouse gases but the
answer is the methane cows produce as a byproduct, which is 25-100 times more destructive than
CO2 on a twenty year time frame according to the Improved Attribution of Climate Forcing to
Emissions. Science Magazine. In the documentary Cowspiracy several go green
organizations are asked what they believe to be the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions
and of course most answer that it is the transportation industry and the burning of fossil fuels. In
fact Kip Andersen is even threated to stop asking questions about the meat industry and why no

Shanklin 2

one wants to talk about how they destroy the rain forest to grow corn for cows to eat so people
can eat the cows. But global warming isnt the only environmental hazard animal agriculture can
be linked to. Water is becoming a precious commodity in the U.S. and around the globe. And in
America 56% of it is used to grow livestock feed according the documentary Cowspiracy. Not
only is it completely insane that more than half of our water supply goes to animal agriculture
but that the water is going to grow food that starving people can eat, but instead we feed it to
livestock so we can eat them. California, who sees several severe droughts a year spends more
than half of their water supply on meat and dairy related products according to Cowspiracy.
But the most shocking fact of all is that it takes on average 2,500 gallons of water to produce a
single pound of beef. If people are caught wondering where the water is going, thats where. It
goes to grow insane amounts of cattle feed so we can fatten up livestock and send them to
slaughter so we can eat a quarter pounder that needed 625 gallons of water to make.
Although it appears to be a complicated problem that could potentially involve cutting
meat out of the American diet to fix it, it isnt. The reform that needs to be made is more of
cutting back than cutting out. The meat that has the largest impact is the meat that requires the
most to produce. In America, that meat is red beef produced by cattle. Damian Carrington from
The Guardian says The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than pork or
chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate- warming emissions. This
means that in order for America to make a step in the right direction we dont need to go all out
vegan like the documentary Forks Over Knives would suggest, but instead reducing our intake
of beef to maybe once a week would provide with better and more effective results, and chicken
and pork could still remain in the diet. The issue that presents itself is that when people are asked
by the government to reduce their intake of meat in order to preserve the environment people

Shanklin 3

tend to get offended because they believe meat and beef specifically are staples in the human
diet. Where this bizarre assumption came from no one really knows but also the fact that buying
a burger at a fast food joint is a cheaper alternative than buying a salad. However the ironic issue
with people not wanting to government to step in is that the government has already been
involved with giving the meat industry the upper hand on local farmers and small businesses.
The meat industry is allowed by the government to operate behind curtains so to speak and more
people that one would believe are in on it. In the critically acclaimed documentary Cowspiracy
the interviewer shares several disturbingly awkward moments with heads of pro-environment
organizations like Save the Planet where the leader of the non-profit refuses to recognize that
the destruction in the South American rainforests and abuse of America soil is because of the
animal agriculture industry. Not only that, but the interviewer, Kip received threats to stop
peppering the popular go green organizations with questions involving the meat industry.
This problem of meat addiction is becoming more and more evident daily as the
environment struggles to keep up with the peoples habits of poor diet choice that impact the
country we live in. In the case study Moral Disengagement in Harmful but Cherished Food
Practices? An Exploration into the Case of Meat authors Abilio Oliveira, Maria Manuela
Calheiros, and Graca Jaeo conduct a study that involves 40 people being asked about their diet
and the impact it has on the environment. According to the study Although affirming personal
duties towards preserving the environment, promoting public health, and safeguarding animal
welfare, participants did not show personal disposition to change their meat consumption habits.
It has become evident that not only are people refusing to change without knowing the true harm
their actions have on the environment but even while knowing the impact they cause, they

Shanklin 4

simply do not care. There is a solution to help save our countrys environment but it will take an
effort by the entire community to execute it.

Shanklin 5

Works Cited
Cowspiracy. Dir. Kip Andersen. Perf. Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. A.U.M, 2014. DVD.
Forks Over Knives. Dir. Lee Fulkerson. Perf. Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Neal Barnard. Forks
Over Knives, 2011. DVD.
Oliveira, and Maria Manuela Calheiros. "Moral Disengagement In Harmful But Cherished Food
Practices? An Exploration Into The Case Of Meat [Electronic Resource]." Journal Of
Agricultural & Environmental Ethics 27.5 (2014): 749-765. Agricola. Web. 10 Nov.
2015.
Carrington, Damian. "Giving up Beef Will Reduce Carbon Footprint More than Cars, Says
Expert." Theguardian. Theguardian, 21 July 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

Shanklin 6