“Livestock production is responsible for almost 20% of green house gas emissions worldwide which is more than all sources of transportation combined”
-UNAFO
Simple and short video launched by the environmental nonprofit INFORM, Inc, The Secret Life of Beef explains in simple terms the deep environmental impact of our obsession with meat. From butchers to farmers, the interviewees all suggest cutting back on the beef—whether that takes going meatless on Mondays or selectively eating grass-fed meats something has to change. (by the way if you really want to take the plunge, here are 7 reasons why you should turn vegetarian to save the planet…)
Facts About Beef Worldwide
Current global meat consumption is 280 million tons per year, but it will likely double by 2050 when the world’s population is expected to reach nine billion.
More and more countries are coming out of poverty and joining the industrial, beef-eating world, which makes a rapid increase in beef demand inevitable. As developing countries become more urbanized and their citizens enjoy a substantial income increase, individuals tend to buy the foods that were out of reach when they were poor, beef being one of the most popular. For this reason, beef demand has been growing most rapidly in Asia and the developing countries.
The largest consumers of beef on a per capita basis are Argentina with an average 65.6 kg per year and Uruguay at 52.4 kg. But overall, the United States consumes the most beef, followed by the European Union, Brazil, China, and Argentina.
Due to the economic downturn, there has been a reduction of beef consumption and production in 2010, but rates are expected to start to recover in 2011. Even as beef consumption is expected to double by 2050 however, beef may no longer be a “mass product” and may instead become “the caviar of the future,” according to Henning Steinfeld of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations because the resource requirements for the production of beef are three to five times higher than those of chicken and pork.
“A happy meal is not really a happy meal, it’s a very very sad meal…”
