The meat and dairy industries are, by far, among the largest drivers of rainforest destruction, habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and environmental pollution. Raising animals for food requires far more land and feed crops than growing plants for direct human consumption.
Methane from livestock, nitrous oxide from manure and fertilizer, and carbon from deforestation for pasture and feed add up to a climate impact often larger than the entire global transportation sector in many analyses. Water pollution from animal waste and fertilizer runoff creates dead zones in rivers and oceans.
Cowspiracy documents these connections clearly. Visit cowspiracy.com for facts and the film. Choosing a plant-based diet is one of the highest-leverage personal actions for both health and the planet.
More resources
- Farmageddon (film)
- Farmageddon (book) — also on Audible