Protein and the Environment
Table 1
You may or may not be aware that most foods you consume contain some protein, but did you know the environmental repercussions from the processing of that protein? The range of issues from land use to energy use all affect the environment in a negative way.
Land used for agriculture in growing plant and animal based protein has pushed back natural environments. Pushing back natural environments affects the natural processes of biogeochemical cycling and with the expansion of agriculture decreasing available habitats also increases the extinction rates of species. Another issue is with the large amounts of water being consumed by agriculture; about half of usable fresh water in the world is being used by humankind with food production and consumption being the main use. According to an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “the US food production system uses about 50% of the total US land area, 80% of the fresh water, and 17% of the fossil energy used in the country”.
The negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption are expected to grow worldwide in the near future with the increase in population growth. In particular with the production of meat based protein, this requires more land, more water, and releases more greenhouse gases. Table 1 shows how much more efficient growth of plant based protein is in comparison to meat based protein in regards to the amount of land required.
Land Use Efficiency - Usable protein yield per acre from different foods
Source: USDA; FAO/WHO/UNICEF, Protein Advisory Group (2004)
A United Nations report that was released in 2006 described the livestock sector as “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global”. The problem is expected to grow with global production of meat estimated to be 465 million tons by 2050, double the amount produced in 2000. The current production of protein, specifically meat based protein isn’t sustainable and changes have to be made.
The good news is that not all forms of protein are equally harmful to the environment. A 2011 assessment by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that “different meats and different production systems have varying health, climate and other environmental impacts.” According to the EWG, conventionally raised lamb, followed by beef, cheese and pork generate the most polluting waste, pound for pound.
You may be wondering how you can do your part to try and reduce your environmental impact without becoming a vegetarian. The following tips are not only helpful to the environment but some are also beneficial to your own health.
1. The easiest way to reduce your impact would be to just reduce your meat intake. Eating too much meat increases your exposure to toxins and increases the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, certain cancers, and obesity.
2. Buying grass-fed or pasture-raised meat which has fewer antibiotics and hormones so there is less runoff pollution in from the fields into our water systems. Even better if you can buy the meat locally which decreases the environmental effects of its transportation and helps support your local economy.
3. Avoid buying heavily processed meats including lunchmeats, hot dogs, prepackaged smoked meats and chicken nuggets so less energy is invested the processing of the meats and thus less of an effect on the environment.
4. Below are links to two sites that allow you to search for organic, humane, pasture raised meat in your own area.
www.eatwellguide.org and www.eatwild.com
Sources:
http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/07/eating-less-better-meat-yes-we-can/
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/07-want-to-help-the-environment-eat-insects
http://www.cgadvisory.com/ourviews_income.html
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/660S.long
Land used for agriculture in growing plant and animal based protein has pushed back natural environments. Pushing back natural environments affects the natural processes of biogeochemical cycling and with the expansion of agriculture decreasing available habitats also increases the extinction rates of species. Another issue is with the large amounts of water being consumed by agriculture; about half of usable fresh water in the world is being used by humankind with food production and consumption being the main use. According to an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “the US food production system uses about 50% of the total US land area, 80% of the fresh water, and 17% of the fossil energy used in the country”.
The negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption are expected to grow worldwide in the near future with the increase in population growth. In particular with the production of meat based protein, this requires more land, more water, and releases more greenhouse gases. Table 1 shows how much more efficient growth of plant based protein is in comparison to meat based protein in regards to the amount of land required.
Land Use Efficiency - Usable protein yield per acre from different foods
Source: USDA; FAO/WHO/UNICEF, Protein Advisory Group (2004)
A United Nations report that was released in 2006 described the livestock sector as “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global”. The problem is expected to grow with global production of meat estimated to be 465 million tons by 2050, double the amount produced in 2000. The current production of protein, specifically meat based protein isn’t sustainable and changes have to be made.
The good news is that not all forms of protein are equally harmful to the environment. A 2011 assessment by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that “different meats and different production systems have varying health, climate and other environmental impacts.” According to the EWG, conventionally raised lamb, followed by beef, cheese and pork generate the most polluting waste, pound for pound.
You may be wondering how you can do your part to try and reduce your environmental impact without becoming a vegetarian. The following tips are not only helpful to the environment but some are also beneficial to your own health.
1. The easiest way to reduce your impact would be to just reduce your meat intake. Eating too much meat increases your exposure to toxins and increases the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, certain cancers, and obesity.
2. Buying grass-fed or pasture-raised meat which has fewer antibiotics and hormones so there is less runoff pollution in from the fields into our water systems. Even better if you can buy the meat locally which decreases the environmental effects of its transportation and helps support your local economy.
3. Avoid buying heavily processed meats including lunchmeats, hot dogs, prepackaged smoked meats and chicken nuggets so less energy is invested the processing of the meats and thus less of an effect on the environment.
4. Below are links to two sites that allow you to search for organic, humane, pasture raised meat in your own area.
www.eatwellguide.org and www.eatwild.com
Sources:
http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/07/eating-less-better-meat-yes-we-can/
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/07-want-to-help-the-environment-eat-insects
http://www.cgadvisory.com/ourviews_income.html
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/660S.long