Is grass fed beef really better for the environment?
According to a new Mother Jones
piece, the answer is no.
The author explains, “The question is critical, because
global demand for animal flesh is on the rise, driven by growing appetites for
meat in developing countries, where per capita meat consumption stands at
about a third of developed-world levels.
Cows on feedlots are fed a diet almost exclusively of corn
and soybeans, which presents a host of environmental problems. The list of
concerns ranges from deforestation and climate change to the inefficient use of
our natural resources, especially water.
However, grass fed beef only makes matters worse.
“If we switched to all grass-fed beef in the United
States, it would require an additional 64.6 million cows, 131 million acres
more land, and 135 million more tons of greenhouse gas emissions,” says
researcher Judith Capper of Washington State University. “We’d have the
same amount of beef, but with a huge environmental cost.”
As other countries move towards a more meat-intensive diet,
the global consequences only become more severe, and the move away from meat
becomes even more critical.
While eating less meat is certainly a start, the best thing
we can do for the environment and animals is to cut meat from our diets
altogether.
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