Every second, an area of forest the size of a football field is cleared for livestock farming, fueling global warming, water pollution, and biodiversity collapse. This is only part of the grim reality of our food system, but you’d never know it in the bright, cheerful aisles of your local supermarket.
Our food choices are shaping the world around us; but the compartmentalization and convenience of modern life, without discounting its benefits, prevents us from seeing our impact.
Nothing Harms the Environment Like Meat Production
Biodiversity Loss
Animal agriculture is the number one driver of biodiversity loss. To date, 34 million square kilometres of Earth’s land–equivalent to the entire African continent–has been converted for grazing livestock, says Project Drawdown. This has resulted in:
- Wildlife populations declining by an average of 68% in the last 50 years (World Wildlife Fund)
- The loss of 1/3 of the world’s forests, half of which happened in this past century alone (Our World in Data)
Under a business-as-usual scenario, 5% of all species will continue to go extinct every ten years. This comes as no surprise, especially when land clearing methods used by meat companies are often dangerous and illegal.
One prime example is JBS. The world’s largest meat company is currently being investigated for illegally spraying “Agent Orange”, a deadly chemical spray used in the Vietnam war, to deforest 812 square kilometres in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. The Pantanal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a rich assortment of wildlife, including the largest jaguar population in the world. Now, 812 square kilometres of their natural habitat will be lost to cattle ranching.
Water Consumption and Pollution
Agriculture is a thirsty business; the industry claims 70% of the world’s limited freshwater stores for production, with livestock systems consuming 40%. Below, an interactive graph by Our World in Data illustrates the massive water footprint of animal protein sources compared to plant-based ones:
To make things worse, the livestock sector is also responsible for polluting the water it consumes. Run-off from animal waste, fertilisers, and pesticides re-enter the environment via waterways and groundwater, contaminating rivers, lakes, and, eventually, the ocean. Factory farms especially are notorious polluters; tens of thousands of animals packed tightly together produce a lot of faecal waste and create breeding grounds for zoonotic disease.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Fossil fuels are typically thought of as the leading driver of climate change, but agriculture is actually the main culprit. A 2023 study published in Nature Food journal found that even if people stopped burning fossil fuels, emissions from food production alone would push global warming above the 1.5C threshold.
Part of these emissions come from carbon and nitrogen that are released from forest clearing and chemically fertilised fields, but most come from ruminant livestock (which is why eating beef has come under so much fire). Due to the nature of their digestive system, cows, sheeps, and goats account for 80% of global livestock GHG emissions.
Public Awareness on the Link Between Meat and Climate Change is Surprisingly Low
There’s a breadth of scientific evidence available on meat’s environmental toll, but one systematic review looking at consumer attitudes in Europe and the U.S. revealed some startling findings:
The study’s results highlight the need for more accessible climate education. It’s also clear that a wide swathe of consumers are resistant to behavioural change. There’s no doubt that making a lifestyle shift is hard, but individual behaviours can and do make a difference–especially in a society driven by supply and demand. In addition to pushing for high-level policy change (ie. government subsidies that favour sustainable farming and incentivize plant-based innovations), grassroots change will be crucial in creating a more sustainable food system.
- Only 23% to 35% of consumers are aware that eating meat causes harm to the planet
- Consumers either underestimate or ignore the potential of reducing meat production and consumption as a way to combat climate change
- Even when information on meat’s environmental toll was explicitly provided, only 5–18% were willing to eliminate or limit their meat intake.
- The consumer is unclear as to how a meat-free diet is more environmentally friendly
Today’s Meat Consumption Risks Future Generations
Beyond the environmental consequences, meat production is exacting a hidden socioeconomic toll on societies worldwide–a price that will also be paid by future generations.
A quick rundown on the meat market: livestock production is driven by population and economic growth. Historically, people didn’t consume much meat until the mid-20th century. The middle class expansion and urbanisation in high-income Western countries that occurred then catalysed a shift toward a meat-heavy diet. This shift was compounded by:
- Mass agricultural industrialization
- Social and cultural attitudes (e.g. propagation of the Standard American Diet)
- And billions of dollars in government subsidies to the meat and dairy industries.
As a result, meat intake has tripled in just the past five decades. This upward trend shows no signs of slowing, as emerging-economy countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa enjoy higher household incomes and subsequently follow the shift in diet.
The problem is that there will be an additional billion people to feed in less than two decades. The FAO predicts that annual meat production would have to reach 470 million tons (an increase of about 100 million tons compared to 2023 output) to feed the human population by 2050.
Human consumption has already far exceeded planetary boundaries. Doubling down on meat production is clearly not the answer. Not only would it exacerbate the rate of environmental collapse, it would magnify long-standing issues of animal welfare.
Ai May Exacerbate Animal Exploitation in the Near Future
No one likes to think of where their bacon or chicken wings came from, but there’s no skirting reality. Most of today’s meat comes from factory farms, which mass-produce animals to meet market demand.
What’s already happening on factory farms
Living conditions in factory farms are no secret. Animals are packed tightly together by the tens of thousands for the duration of their lives, prohibiting them from expressing natural behaviour. They are subjected to intensive breeding and selective genetic editing to grow quickly and enhance specific traits for higher meat yields. For example, broiler chickens are genetically modified to have unnaturally large breasts, which often causes them to collapse under their own weight.
They are also subjected to incredibly inhumane treatment. Male animals are castrated without anaesthesia. Chickens are debeaked to prevent them from eating or pecking at each other out of stress. Cows and pigs are tail-docked to prevent them from biting each other's tails, which is, again, a behaviour that arises out of stress. That’s not to mention how they are slaughtered: by way of a method called ventilation shutdown plus. Animals are basically killed by heatstroke, trapped inside a building and exposed to industrial heaters until they die.
The cramped cages, the constant stress, and the inhumane procedures paint a brutal picture of what our food system has become. With the rise of new productivity-enhancing technologies like AI, animal welfare is at the risk of plummeting even further.
The Risk of Integrating AI into Factory Farms
Safeguards for animal welfare in the livestock farming industry are few and far between. Despite the meat market boom of the past 50 years, the United States, a major exporter of beef, pork, and chicken, has not enacted federal legislation to protect farmed animals since 1978. Existing legal protections only set the minimum standard of care and are weakly enforced.
Against this backdrop, farmers are producing more meat than ever. 80 billion animals are slaughtered annually for human consumption. The industry will need to continue to amplify outputs to meet growing market demand. And because farmers are working with a finite amount of resources–namely arable land and freshwater–the focus is on enhancing productivity per animal with artificial intelligence.
AI is a product of market forces, not altruism
Proponents of AI argue that artificial intelligence and machine learning could be used to develop healthier and more productive livestock. Innovative algorithms and data analytics could optimise genetic selection, breeding, and monitoring of animal behaviour, illness, and nutrition. Automated sanitation could improve animals’ living environments.
The purported benefits aside, integrating AI into the factory farm system–without the protective boundaries of robust welfare laws–has dangerous implications. The industry has traditionally adopted new technologies to boost operational efficiency and profits, not improve animal welfare. The market forces that spur this approach remain in play and, under a business-as-usual-approach, will intensify.
The Way Forward is Plant-Based
Going plant-based is a simple yet manifold solution to these seemingly insurmountable problems.
In addition to relieving the brutal role animals suffer in our food system, a plant-based diet is proven to be much kinder to the planet. Researchers in the U.K. reviewed the various dietary habits of 55,000 people and found that simply eating less meat halves your environmental impact.
Going the full distance with a vegan diet would reduce:
- Greenhouse gas emissions and land use by 75%
- Water use by 54%
- Biodiversity loss by 66%
- Methane production by 93%
A plant-based diet would also boost food production through land-use efficiency. According to Project Drawdown, 29% of the earth’s land is allocated for animal agriculture. Only 9% goes toward growing crops, a portion of which are also used to feed livestock.
Altogether, farm animals use most of all existing agricultural land. Shifting to a plant-based diet would enable farmers to maximise food production without the need for further agricultural expansion and/or intensification. Even simply reducing our dependence on animal products would have the same effect. Combined with circular agriculture, ecological intensification, Indigenous farming practices, and food waste prevention, our food system could become the bedrock of a thriving human population and planet.
Good for People and the Planet
More and more institutions from all parts of the world are proving that this is the case. In Dijon, France, university researchers have found that doubling their cafeteria’s vegetarian offerings led to a 96% sales spike and increased student satisfaction. These positive results encouraged them to advocate for more meat-free dining experiences in universities across the country.
Hospitals and airlines are similarly getting on board. Building on their widely supported 2019 Meatless Mondays program, America's largest public healthcare system has served plant-based meals by default since 2022. The initiative, championed by the Mayor of New York City himself, was received well by patients, with 95% reporting satisfaction with the meals. As for inflight dining, various international airlines have expanded their vegan options to meet surging passenger requests–a reminder that using your voice does make a difference.
Most notably, the country of Denmark is demonstrating that solving the issue of the food system can unite the public and private sectors. With the support of environmental organisations, farmers unions, food lobbies, and all political parties, the Danish government is working to make 60% of all meals in public institutions plant-based by 2030 as part of their Plant-Based Action Plan. The boldness of this initiative has captured the interest of policymakers worldwide, and serves as a leading example of what is possible.
Plant-based is profitable
As a whole, humanity still has a long way to go in healing our relationship to food and the land. Economics dictates how the food system is run, and meat production remains a lucrative industry. However, the above examples illustrate that there is ample demand for greener products.
Investors and companies should look toward the booming plant-based market, which is expected to reach $162 billion by the end of the decade. Opportunities proceed to unfold as consumers prioritise conscious spending and governments unveil new avenues for food innovation. As Bloomberg Intelligence aptly says, “Plant-based alternatives are here to stay–and grow.”
The Solutions Are on Our Plates
Discourse around meat consumption has always been fraught, and aggressive lobbying and greenwashing by the meat and dairy industries has polarised it even more. But the science rings clear: the earth cannot support the meat-eating habit. Mitigating both consumption and production is necessary to cultivate a sustainable path forward.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem, to assume the task is the responsibility of governments and corporations. To an extent, it is. But food is shared by everyone. If a collective shift towards a meat-first diet is what created the problems we face today, then it will take a collective shift to resolve them.
Ready to make a difference? Start by reducing your meat intake and supporting policies that prioritise sustainable food systems. The future of our planet is being shaped by every choice we make.
References
A Five-Step Plan to Feed the World, National Geographic Magazine
Fixing food’s big climate problem, Project Drawdown
Vegan Diets Slash Emissions by 75%, According to “Most Detailed Study Yet”
Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock, FAO
Consumer Attitudes Towards Environmental Concerns of Meat Consumption: A Systematic Review
How does animal agriculture pollute water?, Farm Forward
Meat Consumption and Sustainability, Annual Review of Resource Economics
9 charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than you realize, Vox
What is Factory Farming, The Humane League
An Analysis Of State Enforcement Of Farmed Animal Welfare Laws, Faunalytics
Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy?, Carbon Brief
