We tend to associate farm living with tranquillity and slow-paced life, but often neglect the fact that farms are actually pollutive. Animal agriculture is the second-largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We will be exploring 3 dimensions of livestock rearing that contribute to water, soil, air and noise pollution.
Existence of Farms
Animal agriculture requires a large amount of land, energy, grain production and freshwater. Also, “75% of historic deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and nearly a third of biodiversity loss to date due to animal agriculture” (Climate Nexus, 2016). Today, there are also many “factory farms”, where animals are being reared in cramped and unnatural conditions for the sole purpose of earning profits (Lingel, 2020). Hence, farms and “factory farms” are often one of the main causes of deforestation as land is needed to grow, feed and graze animals. With a large number of resources being used for these animal farms, this would mean that there are fewer resources available. In addition, farms can be a source of smell and noise pollution for locals, leading to detrimental health.
Practices
In rearing animals in farms and factory farms, the practices contribute significantly to pollution globally. Farms utilise large amounts of manure and when used inefficiently, it can result in the pollution of water bodies. Manure contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium and they are used to help plants to grow, improve the quality of soil and add nutrients to the ground (Lingel, 2020). However, manure runoff promotes algae growth in water bodies and also contaminates the environments of aquatic life, such as fish. When these chemicals are consumed, it can negatively impact human health.
Waste Products
Waste products from animals, such as gas emissions and faeces can result in air pollution and water pollution. Animals release large amounts of greenhouse gases, such as ammonia and methane. These gases trap heat which leads to global warming and can also pose a threat to human health. From Figure 1, dairy cattle are one of the most pollutive animals and contribute greatly to pollution (Erickson, 2018). Factory farms also exacerbate the speed and rate of disease spread due to the concentrated animal farms. Some diseases include asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems (Schwartz, 2020). Moreover, livestock faeces can also pass through the soil to groundwater, which may then contaminate nearby streams and rivers with nitrates and pathogens (Climate Nexus, 2016). When their waste decomposes, it releases airborne particulate matter along with the harmful gases.
In summary, although the presence of animals and their waste products are natural, the rearing practices of animal agriculture are anthropogenic factors that lead to environmental degradation. The demand for meat and dairy products by consumers are directly fuelling the presence of animal farms and their practices. In the coming decades, as wealth and standard of living increase globally, there will be a likely increase in the consumption of meat, resulting in more environmental degradation.
Trailing off,
Jade and Ridzuan
References
Climate Nexus (2016). Animal Agriculture’s Impact on Climate Change. [online] Climate Nexus. Available at: https://climatenexus.org/climate-issues/food/animal-agricultures-impact-on-climate-change/ [Accessed 27 Aug. 2020].
Erickson, B.E. (2018). Livestock emissions still up in the air. [online] Chemical & Engineering News. Available at: https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Livestock-emissions-still-air/96/i14 [Accessed 27 Aug. 2020].
Lingel, G. (2018). Factory Farming: The Horrifying Secrets Behind the Scenes. [online] Sentientmedia.org. Available at: https://sentientmedia.org/factory-farming/ [Accessed 27 Aug. 2020].
Schwartz, S. (2020). 5 Facts About Animal Agriculture and Air Pollution That You Just Can’t Argue With. [online] One Green Planet. Available at: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/facts-about-animal-agriculture-and-air-pollution/ [Accessed 27 Aug. 2020].
