Rising Livestock for Food Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change

Rising Livestock for Food Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change

Description/Paper Instructions

Rising Livestock for Food Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change

Many of you are aware how much Carbon we emit into the atmosphere due to our energy and transportation choices. Carbon and carbo equivalents are Greenhouse gases. In assignment # 4, you learned how our fossil fuel energy choices contribute to climate change and rising sea levels. You will dig deeper into that in HW # 7 this week.

I am going to bet many of you have no idea how our food choices contribute to climate change. The foods we eat as a society have a more damaging and lasting effect on the atmosphere and global climate change than ALL OFTHECARSONTHEROAD! Hard to believe, right?

If you are a meat eater, you are contributing to Climate Change. The more people that eat meat- in particular, livestock raised for food, the more GHGs we are emitting into the atmosphere. I would be very hypocritical if I told you I didn’t eat meat- I do. BUT, I have cut way back for two reasons: 1) It is healthier to eat more fruit and vegetables, and 2) I understand the impact raising livestock has on the planet. In Assignment # 6, you will learn more about this scientific fact. I am expecting a STRONG PARAGRAPH answer to each question unless it is noted otherwise.

1) According to the LECTURE, The Impacts of Raising Livestock for Food, what THREE Natural Resource issues are caused by raising cattle for food? (Meat, Milk, Cheese). I am expecting a COMPLETE AND STONG PARAGRAPH answer.

2) According to the LECTURE, The Impact of Raising Livestock for Food, what are some of the Greenhouse gases emitted by this industry and what specifically causes them? List the Greenhouse gas and the source. You should be able to come up with a MINIMUM of THREE for EACH. (A Strong paragraph is not required for this question)

3) According to the LECTURE, The Impact of Raising Livestock for Food, Millions of acres of land in the US are used to provide feed for cattle? HOW and WHY is this a poor use of the land? I am expecting a STRONG PARAGRAPH answer to this question.

4) In the LECTURE, The Impact of Raising Livestock for Food, there is a statistic that the number of trees removed to support this industry is the size of the US States of Texas and Colorado combined. Name two issues caused by removing so many acres of trees? I am expecting a STRONG PARAGRAPH answer to this question