From Jay Weinstein's The Ethical Gourmet:
here are some comparisons for how many liters of water it takes to produce 1 kilo of various agricultural products:
Potatoes: 500 liters
Wheat: 900 liters
Sorghum: 1,110 liters
Maize: 1,400 liters
Soybeans: 2,000 liters
Chicken: 3,500 liters
Beef (feedlot): 100,000 liters
Maize and Soybeans are grown primarily for feed.
These numbers continue to astound.
Showing posts with label Beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beef. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Beef Factoids: Cattle and Rainforests
According to the Nature Conservancy:
In the past 50 years, nearly 15% of Brazil's Amazon forest has been cleared.
Nearly 70% of deforested land in the Amazon is now cattle pasture.
Although ranching is still the biggest threat to Brazil's rainforests, over the last decade large-scale soybean farms have doubled in size, to more than 81,000 square miles.
The vast majority of soy grown in Brazil is exported for cattle and chicken feed.
80% of the world soybean crop is used for animal feed. Only 6% is harvested for direct human consumption in products such as soy milk or tofu.
Comment: Much as it pains us to say it, if you want to reduce your environmental impact, it is crucial that you reduce your consumption of beef.
In the past 50 years, nearly 15% of Brazil's Amazon forest has been cleared.
Nearly 70% of deforested land in the Amazon is now cattle pasture.
Although ranching is still the biggest threat to Brazil's rainforests, over the last decade large-scale soybean farms have doubled in size, to more than 81,000 square miles.
The vast majority of soy grown in Brazil is exported for cattle and chicken feed.
80% of the world soybean crop is used for animal feed. Only 6% is harvested for direct human consumption in products such as soy milk or tofu.
Comment: Much as it pains us to say it, if you want to reduce your environmental impact, it is crucial that you reduce your consumption of beef.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Beef Factoids: Land
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists' Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices:
About 800 million acres, or 40% of the U.S. land area, is used for grazing livestock.
Another 60 million acres is used to grow grain for feeding livestock.
American livestock generate more than 2 billion tons of wet manure, over ten times the amount of municipal solid waste generation.
According to Jay Weinstein's The Ethical Gourmet:
About 90% of the grain currently grown in the U.S. is used to feed livestock.
About 800 million acres, or 40% of the U.S. land area, is used for grazing livestock.
Another 60 million acres is used to grow grain for feeding livestock.
American livestock generate more than 2 billion tons of wet manure, over ten times the amount of municipal solid waste generation.
According to Jay Weinstein's The Ethical Gourmet:
About 90% of the grain currently grown in the U.S. is used to feed livestock.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Livestock Factoids: Climate Change
Here are some of the findings from the LEAD (Livestock, Environment and Development) report, "Livestock's Long Shadow," on livestock's effect on the 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.
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.
It 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.
Celsius has an excellent summary of the main findings of this report, "Livestock: Public Enemy Number One."
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.
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.
It 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.
Celsius has an excellent summary of the main findings of this report, "Livestock: Public Enemy Number One."
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