Information and sources from
Hyner, Christopher. “A Leading Cause of Everything: One Industry That Is Destroying Our Planet and Our Ability to Thrive on It Georgetown Environmental Law Review.” Georgetown Environmental Law Review, 26 Oct. 2015, gelr.org/2015/10/23/a-leading-cause-of-everything-one-industry-that-is-destroying-our-planet-and-our-ability-to-thrive-on-it-georgetown-environmental-law-review/.
Climate change, according to the Oxford Dictionary is “[a] change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels” (Oxford). The main cause of climate change is the effect of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The gasses—which include; water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons—allow for the sun’s light to come into the Earth, but still keep some of heat from leaving. The more greenhouse gasses which stay in the atmosphere means that more heat will stay and therefore increase the temperature of Earth (National Geographic). Humans play a big part in this when they burn fossil fuels, but more significantly when they control animal agriculture. “According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), global agriculture—dominated by livestock production and the grains grown to support it—accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions” (USDA).
“A 2006 study by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) finds that 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions is directly attributable to livestock production, which is more than the emissions attributable to the entire transportation sector.[2]”
The percentage of agriculture emissions will only rise as the population rises.
“The growing demand for animal agriculture is expected to be a major contributor to a roughly 80% increase in global greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.[4]”
“Definition of Climate Change.” English Oxford Living Dictionaries, Oxford University Press, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/climate_change.
USDA, USDA Climate Change Science Plan 4 (2010), available at http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/science_plan2010/USDA_CCSPlan_120810.pdf. These figures include contributions from land use change and deforestation for the purpose of agriculture—primarily to make land available for grazing.
Cici's Capstone 