LIVESTOCK'S LONG SHADOW

Animal Foods & The Environment

In Al Gore's 2006 Inconvenient Truth, there was not a single mention of the vast amount of environmental destruction that is being caused by the raising of the world's livestock.  Yet, in November, just a few months after his movie was winning rave reviews for being so environmentally sound, the Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations released a report entitled Livestock's Long Shadow. After reading the Executive Summary of this 400-page report, this is how I summarized its findings as it relates to global warming, only one of the categories of environmental damage being caused by the livestock industry worldwide:

The worldwide raising of agriculture causes considerably more global warming, and other environmental problems, than all of the cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships and airplanes in the world.

Now, why do you suppose that this little tidbit was never mentioned on a single network's evening news?  The report went on to say, and I quote verbatim:

"The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.
The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
Livestock’s contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale and its potential contribution to their solution is equally large.
The impact is so significant that it needs to be addressed with urgency.
Major reductions in impact could be achieved at reasonable cost."


Now surely Al Gore had knowledge of this type of data prior to releasing his Academy Award Winning documentary last summer.  What is going on here? Why did he make absolutely no mention of it?  Quite simply in my opinion, two things:  Politics and Money. Even though a modest shift to a plant-based diet would do more to reduce global warming than a sweeping move to hybrid cars and water saving devices in our showers, Al Gore chose not to even mention the livestock data, much less suggest that we all might want to consider reducing the amount of animal products in our diet as a means of reducing global warming.  

On this special page, I will share the following with you:

My own "book report" style summary of the U.N. Report
Links to the complete report in pdf format
Links to Dr. John McDougall's assessment of the U.N. Report
A Closing Line by Jay Leno

Compelling Information from the Executive Summary of the U.N. Report
The U.N. Report focuses on four major categories of environmental damage caused by the livestock industry worldwide.  Here are some of my selected verbatim data from the report. I included below only the data that I found to be particularly compelling. The report also includes information regarding how some of this damage could be mitigated. I chose not to include that information in my summary as I feel that they failed to mention the most powerful solution of all...shifting to a whole, unrefined plant-based diet; which not only helps save the environment but also contributes greatly to our own health and better enables us to feed the hungry mouths of an ever-expanding human population.
1. Land Degradation
The livestock sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land.
The total area occupied by grazing is equivalent to 26 percent of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet.
In addition, the total area dedicated to feedcrop production amounts to 33 percent of total arable land.
In all, livestock production accounts for 70 percent of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of the planet.
Expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation, especially in Latin America where the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring – 70 percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feedcrops cover a large part of the remainder.
About 20 percent of the world’s pastures and rangelands, with 73 percent of rangelands in dry areas, have been degraded to some extent, mostly through overgrazing, compaction and erosion created by livestock action.
2. Atmosphere and Climate
With rising temperatures, rising sea levels, melting icecaps and glaciers, shifting ocean currents and weather patterns, climate change is the most serious challenge facing the human race.
The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport. (All transportation is responsible for 13.5%; some 25% less than livestock, by far our category leader)
The livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The largest share of this derives from land-use changes – especially deforestation – caused by expansion of pastures and arable land for feedcrops.
Livestock are responsible for much larger shares of some gases with far higher potential to warm the atmosphere. The sector emits 37 percent of anthropogenic methane (with 23 times the global warming potential (GWP) of CO2) most of that from enteric fermentation by ruminants.
The livestock sector emits 65 percent of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (with 296 times the GWP of CO2), the great majority from manure.
Livestock are also responsible for almost two-thirds (64 percent) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.

3. Water Shortage and Water Pollution
The world is moving towards increasing problems of freshwater shortage, scarcity and depletion, with 64 percent of the world’s population expected to live in water-stressed basins by 2025.
The livestock sector is a key player in increasing water use, accounting for over 8 percent of global human water use, mostly for the irrigation of feedcrops.
It is probably the largest sectoral source of water pollution, contributing to eutrophication, “dead” zones in coastal areas, degradation of coral reefs, human health problems, emergence of antibiotic resistance and many others.
The major sources of pollution are from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.
Global figures are not available but in the United States, with the world’s fourth largest land area, livestock are responsible for an estimated 55 percent of erosion and sediment, 37 percent of pesticide use, 50 percent of antibiotic use, and a third of the loads of nitrogen and phosphorus into freshwater resources.
Livestock also affect the replenishment of freshwater by compacting soil, reducing infiltration, degrading the banks of watercourses, drying up floodplains and lowering water tables. Livestock’s contribution to deforestation also increases runoff and reduces dry season flows.

4. Biodiversity; the Loss of Species
We are in an era of unprecedented threats to biodiversity. The loss of species is estimated to be running 50 to 500 times higher than background rates found in the fossil record. Fifteen out of 24 important ecosystem services are assessed to be in decline.
Livestock now account for about 20 percent of the total terrestrial animal biomass, and the 30 percent of the earth’s land surface that they now pre-empt was once habitat for wildlife. I
Indeed, the livestock sector may well be the leading player in the reduction of biodiversity, since it is the major driver of deforestation, as well as one of the leading drivers of land degradation, pollution, climate change, overfishing, sedimentation of coastal areas and facilitation of invasions by alien species.
In addition, resource conflicts with pastoralists threaten species of wild predators and also protected areas close to pastures. Meanwhile in developed regions, especially Europe, pastures had become a location of diverse long-established types of ecosystem, many of which are now threatened by pasture abandonment.
Conservation International has identified 35 global hotspots for biodiversity, characterized by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious levels of habitat loss. Of these, 23 are reported to be affected by livestock production. An analysis of the authoritative World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species shows that most of the world’s threatened species are suffering habitat loss where livestock are a factor.

Livestock's Long Shadow
Environmental Issues & Options
Special U.N. Report Published by the Food & Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations in November of 2006.

I don't know about you, but I consider all of the above to be very compelling information. Now, let's consider why neither Al Gore, or the people conducting the U.N. Study, chose to suggest that the best way to solve the above dilemma is to, quite simply, stop eating animal products. Scientists have known for years that the plant-based diet is the superior diet for promoting health; how convenient that it also is the preferred diet for protecting the health of our planet. Then, as an added bonus, with a plant-based diet, we can feed a lot more humans with the same amount of land, about 20 times more humans.  On the amount of land that it takes to feed 100 people an animal-based diet, we could feed 2,000 people a plant-based diet.

So, what's the problem? Why are we not doing it? Why are we not even hearing about it as an option? Four things:

We have all been eating animal foods for so long, that most of us sincerely believe that we are now eating the most healthy of all diets and that animal protein is an absolute necessity for good health.
Most of us simply do not want to give up the foods we have learned to crave, since most of us have eaten animal foods three meals a day for our entire lives. And we all have our favorites; burgers, steak, pizza, eggs, milk, cheese, etc.
The media has always been reluctant to mention anything in the news that might tend to drive consumers away from some of their largest sponsors...the giant food companies that produce our Standard American Diet (S.A.D.)
What about our government?  Why don't they tell us the truth?  Answer:  Powerful lobbies from industries that depend on the animal-based diet; beef, poutltry, pork, dairy, etc. Our government dietary guidelines (the food pyramid) is controlled by the USDA, that's right, our Department of Agriculture. You think they might have an interest in keeping animal foods in our diet?

It is very frustrating to a man of action like myself to realize that we know the simple answer to a green environment, a healthy human population and the end of world hunger; yet the vast majority of us are driven by the four factors above and are content to continue to "enjoy" our favorite foods while we go about leaving a disastrous legacy for our children. Meanwhile, we make a big deal out of following Al Gore's advice regarding trendy things that are a little bit easier for most of us to consider...

Buying a hybrid car
Using fluorescent lighting in our homes
Putting water savers on our showers
Turning our thermostats down a few degrees
Putting solar panels on our homes

While these things are good, they are literally a drop-in-the-bucket compared to the dramatic impact that would be felt if the world started moving quickly to a plant-based diet. I realize that I am currently one of an estimated one percent (or less) of Americans who understand the big picture and has begun taking aggressive steps to doing something about it:

After eating the S.A.D. for 57 years, I shifted to diet consisting primarily of whole, unrefined plant-based foods in 2003. I don't like labels, so I don't refer to myself as a vegetarian. But I can tell you, even though I may occasionally eat a piece of cheese, I never purchase any animal products whatsoever.
The above has been an exciting adventure for me. Always having been a "big picture kind of guy," all of this stuff just makes so much sense that I became more and more energized to do what I can to make a difference on this planet.
I have started with my own family and am happy to report that both my adult children have quickly followed my lead and have made dramatic improvements in their own diets and health. In so doing, they have purchased fewer (or zero) animal products and have therefore reduced some of the stress on the environment. It is also a great thrill to know that I have been able to postively impact the diet of my three young grandchildren.
I launched this Harmony Earth site to help me explain "the big picture" to others who may have an interest in learning. It has been very gratifying to know that I have had a very positive influence on a great many people through these efforts. And if enough of us "Play it Forward," then yes, we can make a difference.
I am currently working on a corporate program that we expect to launch with our first clients in 2007. Our mission will be to influence the associates within our client companies to eat a healthier diet which will reduce the cost of healthcare for the organization. While some may choose a plant-based diet primarily for environmental reasons, they will most certainly also enjoy better health which will save their company money.
Finally, I have not purchased a hybrid car or put solar panels on my roof. But unlike most Americans at my income level, I only own one small home with less than 1,000 square feet, I have a rear patio but no lawn to water, my car has 140,000 miles on it and sits idle five days a week, I walk over 90% of the time to all destinations within my seaside town in Connecticut, and I ride the train instead of driving whenever I can. In summary, I bet that I am leaving a carbon footprint that is less than 1% of the footprint of our fearless environmental leader, Mr. Al Gore.

Lest you think that I am attacking Gore, let me just say that I learned a lot from his movie and applaud him for getting a great many people thinking about the environment. I am only critical of him for two reasons:

Why didn't he tell us that the livestock sector causes more global warming than all of transportation combined?  Unless he is ignorant, he must be a hypocrite, and I strongly suspect that it is the latter. Judging from his girth of late, I think he would have a great deal of trouble giving up many of his favorite foods.
He didn't share with us all the facts in his movie; leaving out the LIVESTOCK category of environmental damage which is much larger than that of transportation. Many scientists believe that we will never be able to correct the damage even if we started using NO carbon; then we certainly must be told the COMPLETE TRUTH about what is causing the greatest amount of global warming. Unfortunately Mr. Gore, like most politicians, limited his presentation to the those things that are politically correct.

Before signing off, I want to direct you to two recent newsletters from one of my favorite doctors who is featured prominently throughout Harmony Earth...Dr. John McDougall. In the links below, you will find his own version of what I have done here today.


One final humorous observation.  I stated earlier that the U.N. Report was never mentioned on the evening news and I do believe that to be true. And, even if they had mentioned it, they would not have dared mentioned the obvious solution of eliminating animal foods from our diets. But I did see it mentioned recently on television. On Thursday, February 22, 2007, Jay Leno used the U.N. Study in one of his jokes on The Tonight Show. He stated that remarkable statistic about livestock causing more environmental problems than all of the cars, trucks and planes but then, as a punchline, he said that if he was going to raise a cow, that he would insist on buying a "hybrid cow."  Well, it least it made the news; albeit by a comedian in a frivolous manner three months after the report was published; God help us...Jim Hicks.

Eating for Health and Ecology on Planet Earth