Eat less meat, save the planet? Livestock nears sustainability limit

[n2doc]

By Diana Gitig | Last updated a day ago

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that agriculture accounts for 10-12 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This figure does not include land conversion effects; taking those into account, the number jumps to almost thirty percent, and livestock production accounts for the bulk of these emissions. Rearing livestock also uses a great deal of nitrogen-based fertilizer, which goes into the animals’ feedstock.

A new analysis of the carbon and nitrogen cycles suggests that livestock production is on a path to unsustainability, and that it will push us beyond Earth’s safe operating limits by the middle of the century.

A nitrogen fixation

Global food systems intensely disrupt the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is a key element in amino acids, the building blocks of proteins; as such, nitrogen is essential for all life on earth. Although it is the most abundant element in our atmosphere, atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used until it is "fixed" into a reactive form. Nitrogen fixation was traditionally accomplished by bacteria, but, since the Industrial Revolution, human activities now fix more nitrogen than natural sources. Astonishingly, half of the synthetic nitrogen fertilizer ever used in the history of Earth has been applied in the last 20 years; perhaps not as astonishingly, fixed nitrogen levels have more than doubled in that time.

Disrupting the nitrogen cycle increases radiative forcing, which warms the Earth, with potential dangerous impacts on ecosystems and humanity. Changing the nitrogen cycle also increases photochemical smog and acid deposition.

more

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/10/livestock-production-pushing-the-bounds-of-sustainability.ars

[Kolesar]

1. Nitrate Levels in Drinking Water

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/dwg/nitrate.htm

Water naturally contains less than 1 milligram of nitrate-nitrogen per liter and is not a major source of exposure. Higher levels indicate that the water has been contaminated. Common sources of nitrate contamination include fertilizers, animal wastes, septic tanks, municipal sewage treatment systems, and decaying plant debris.

The ability of nitrate to enter well water depends on the type of soil and bedrock present, and on the depth and construction of the well. State and federal laws set the maximum allowable level of nitrate-nitrogen in public drinking water at 10 milligrams per liter (10 parts per million). These laws apply to all city and village water supplies and are used as an advisory for private wells.

[kristopher]

2. OK, I'm in. nt

[itsrobert]

3. No thank you.

Pass.

[Gregorian]

4. Have fewer children, save the planet.

Let's stop focusing on symptoms, and work on the actual problem.

[itsrobert]

5. Save the planet, get rid of pets

Dogs and cats.

[dkf]

6. Is it because we have obese people who eat a lot more than they should?

How much per person is considered sustainable? Is 2 reasonable portions a day too much?

[itsrobert]

8. Solution: Get rid of Obese People

Put them on space ships and have robots take care of them.

[dkf]

10. No..make all people realize we need to share.

If you are naturally 6 feet than you do need more than the average but if you are just plain overeating maybe you should be a little less selfish. And it's good for you.

[itsrobert]

11. Should we go by body fat

I'm about 24 percent body fat? That's obese.

[dkf]

13. I'd say go by height.

I'm short so that would be my volunteering to eat less meat than you all. And it's easy to eat less...if you do it for a month or so your stomach shrinks.

[Nihil]

18. "If you are naturally 6 feet than you do need more than the average"

Just to clarify, are you talking height here or diameter?

:hide:

[txlibdem]

7. I just had spaghetti with turkey "hamburger" in the sauce

Does that solve the problem? My wife stopped eating beef and pork a couple of years ago and I've been cutting way back for even longer than that. It just feels healthier.

[itsrobert]

9. Next time try pigeon meat

Pigeon population needs to be cut down. Look at all those nitrates they drop on the soil and peoples cars.

[K8-EEE]

14. I am making baked pasta with "soyrizo" in the sauce

It is really really good -- seasoned carnies can't tell the diff in this recipe. Basically you just mix slightly undercooked penne or whatever short pasta with your favorite sauce, and some soyrizo, onions, and peppers that you brown in the skillet first. I throw in a couple of cups of fresh chopped spinach in the mix, and top it with shredded swiss & parmesan (leaving half off for my vegan daughter.) In the oven 1/2 hour 350. It's really good and if you don't tell people they will think it is animal sausage!

Given the state of the economy, the state of our health in America, and the ecological issues, cutting down on meat is kind of a no-brainer but you can't really count on people having too many brains.

[txlibdem]

15. Soyrizo... gotta try that.

I generally think that they add too many spices to the vegetarian meat-substitutes. But it's worth a try.

[K8-EEE]

16. Oh in that case try.....

Smart Ground or Yves Good Ground.....if you get the plain they also do well baked in tomato sauce, they basically take on the flavor of the sauce with a meaty texture. I definitely prefer these refrigerated meat subs to the dried or frozen kinds.

Soyrizo is spiced like regular Chorizo (Mexican sausage) -- I like SPICY so I love it!

Anyway I'm frequently in the position on the weekends of having people "come over" between my hub's carnivore buddies and my veg daughter & dad, this is one of the few things that is easy and pleases everybody, and, if I make a double batch of this and a big salad I can feed a lot of people for $10. Luckily the friends are good about bringing wine so I don't mind doing the cooking :o)

[XemaSab]

12. Cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and other range animals

can be raised on lands that are not suitable for crops, thereby giving humans more food than cropland alone could provide.

It's not eating meat that's the problem, it's modern factory farming methods where we feed crops to livestock.

[Nihil]

19. Ding! Ding! Ding! Winner!

> It's not eating meat that's the problem, it's modern factory farming methods
> where we feed crops to livestock.

To be fair, it is also portion size & wastage but the factory farming approach
makes both of these aspects far more damaging than they are by themselves.

Be that as it may, I'm fully in favour of reduced meat intake as every little
bit helps reduce the shock when "the norm" suddenly becomes "the unavailable".

(I become far more vegetarian in the summer as I *love* salads. Have now got
one son preferring veggie-sausages over real ones and the next aim is for a
soya-based chilli rather than the usual minced beef ...)

[FedUpWithIt All]

17. Heritage breeds, which are usually not fashionable in a factory farm day and age, often eat forage.

There are breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs which survive, often thriving, on wild forage. Much of the forage world are also natural nitrogen "fixers" but are typically destroyed in our society as invasive or weeds. These animals are often rare breeds due to the fact that they are not the strongest breed for any single attribute. They do not produce the most meat or milk but they survive in more natural conditions where the specialty breeds would certainly perish. These breeds are often considered efficient multi-purpose animals.

These heritage animals can be raised in a system where the animal provides more than meat or milk to a farm, small holding or homestead. The idea is to allow the animals to behave in a manner that is more natural. For example, pigs will root out waste crops in a harvested field providing food for themselves while also providing the services of plowing the field before winter sets in and also cleaning up missed or dropped crops which prevents pest problems from taking hold in the following year's garden (helps to limit the need to chemical pest control). These same pigs leave a manure which also gets mixed into the plowed soil (limits chemical soil amendments). Through the winter allowing pigs to bed in the old deep bed straw/manure from cattle, will keep the sows and piglets warm and provide a much needed mineral for the pigs that farmers otherwise have to supply additionally. The turned and fluffed up straw compost (one less job for a farmer)that is left in late spring is a fantastic fertilizer. Pigs are also very helpful for cleaning up windfall from orchards and preventing disease and pests problems, again while providing a wonderful fertilizer.

Several of the heritage breeds of cattle are great for returning overgrown pastures without chemical input. Mixing flocks, like some do with flerds (flocks/herd)keeps parasites down, provides smaller livestock protection and aids healthy plant diversity. Each species eats a different plants and to different levels. Each animal's digestive system helps to prevent infestations of the other species' parasites (limits medical intervention and allows natural immunities to build). Other insect pests can be kept limited by allowing poultry and other fowl to pasture as well. A cow can nurse her calf, limiting stress to both animals while still providing a reasonable amount of milk to a family. This cow, if she is not a delicate specialty breed, can usually sustain her calf on a largely natural pastured diet.

It seems to me that there is a reason that the increases were seen within the past 20 or so years. Less than 100 years ago there were still small farms and households which maintained a few chickens and perhaps a family milk cow or goat, mostly raised in a responsible manner. Factory farming, with it's preference for bigger, faster and cheaper is evidently most of the problem. A massive societal move away from the source of food, which allowed these factory farms to take hold is,IMHO, also to blame.