How Does Beef Production Affect Climate Change?

By Vivian Pham

Prices are a normal part of the dining experience, but it’s not always apparent what the true cost is until the very end. No, I’m not talking about sales tax. I’m talking about the unwritten costs that you don’t know about and that the food industry doesn't care to inform you of—the cost to Nature.  

Certain foods have always been harder on the planet than others. This is especially the case with beef, an expensive dish in terms of animal welfare, natural resources, land, and climate change.

What if Animals are Sentient?

All animals are sentient and experience pain. They experience emotions like fear, joy, anxiety, and sadness. And cows are no different. Studies show that cows actually enjoy learning new things, hold grudges, and can even recognize cow and human faces. 

For example, mother cows who are separated from their young cry for weeks at a time. Calves are also affected by this separation both mentally and physically and can carry this trauma with them through life. These are just a few ways cows demonstrate their intellectual capacity and emotional depth.

What If We Could Feed More People If We All Went Plant-based?

Each time energy is passed down from one being (like a plant) to another (like an animal), about 50-90 percent of it is lost. 

Cows are fed a diet of grass and grains. Therefore, beef represents a costly meal that if replaced with plant-based foods could conservatively feed twice as many people. One study estimates we could save 8 million people from starvation if everyone went vegan today.

What If More Land Could Be Rewilded?

Certain foods were never meant to be produced en masse. And the more people indulge in these foods, the more these inefficiencies are magnified. 

Currently, meat and other animal by-products take up 76 percent of the land we use to grow food globally. Beef alone led to the deforestation of hundreds of thousands of square miles of the world’s rainforests—land that would have otherwise captured CO2 and helped to protect Earth’s ozone layers.

What If We Could Slow Global Warming?

Farm animals in general are responsible for up to 18 percent of global methane emissions.

Cows are the worst of the bunch, releasing 60 kg of greenhouse gas emissions for each kg of meat produced. Cows also release methane gas which is 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

If all this doesn’t sit right with you, there are ways to help:

What If Plant-based Diets Are Healthier?

The U.S. consumes three times more meat than the global average. If everyone in the country were to go vegan, we could cut our food-related greenhouse emissions by up to 73 percent. 

Eating veggies is also healthier for you. In general, vegetarians and vegans consume fewer calories and less fat, weigh less, go out into nature more often, and are less likely to have a heart disease. One 2017 Jama study revealed that replacing just 3% of animal protein with plant-based protein was associated with 19% lower likelihood of death from any cause. 

What If Locally Sourced Beef Was Better All Around?

While going vegan is the most sustainable option, it’s not necessarily the right choice for everybody. Fortunately, we as consumers can enjoy beef while still reducing our carbon footprints by buying from sustainable farms.

Certain high-impact beef producers use more land and water, require more transport or processing, release more greenhouse gases, and contribute to the pollution of rivers. As a result, high-impact cow farms are responsible for over half of all beef-related environmental damage, using up to 50 times more land and releasing 12 times as much CO2 as low-impact farmers.

By supporting only low-impact farms as well as cutting our intake of animal products, we could enjoy 70 percent of the environmental impact of going completely vegan. 

Support ELC

Thankfully, we’re not starting from zero. There are currently bills at the federal level to improve the standards of living of livestock. For example, bans on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) are gradually becoming more commonplace. In 2020 California passed legislation that will phase out battery cages by 2025 and the sale of products from battery cage systems by 2023. 

Earth Law Center is also joining in this fight by seeking to rebalance the human-Nature relationship. Rather than viewing Nature as something to be used for the benefit of humans, we are working to create a legal framework under which Nature and its wellbeing must be considered in all decisions which impact it. This includes the perspective of seeing cows and other animals as independent subjects with their own rights and protections. 

Paying the Check

Every small act helps. Whether it’s spreading awareness, cutting your intake of beef, or donating to ELC, your decisions as a consumer have a ripple effect on your social circle, your community, and the people who make your food. 

More ways to become an active supporter:

• Keep up with what’s happening and what strides we’re making in Earth law by signing up for our newsletter. 

• Trying to be more proactive in your community? Start volunteering. 

• Ready to put your wallet where your beliefs are? Donate what you can whether that’s a dollar or a few hundred dollars.

So, when it’s time to settle your tab to Nature, what costs are you okay with?