Imagine we are living in a world where you have to wear masks outside, there’s no trees, and the air is gray. According to inhabitat.com, “if global warming continues unchecked, some scientists estimate we could reach this drastic tipping point as soon as 2100. (1)” Sounds frightening doesn’t it; right now there is very little being done to slow the drastic effects of pollution. There are many different factors that make our air unbreathable, but the root of the problem is pollution. Specifically pollution from livestock, multiple data sources have proven that livestock are the number one producers of pollution, how this pollution affects civilization, and what humankind is doing to counteract these toxic gasses. 

Livestock is the globe’s number one food source feeding more than one third of the population and the industry is only growing. Although they provide food for a lot of civilization, there are many side effects. According to (Davis 3), Cattle are the No. 1 agricultural source of greenhouse gasses worldwide. Each year, a single cow will belch about 220 pounds of methane. Methane from cattle is shorter lived than carbon dioxide but 28 times more potent in warming the atmosphere.” This is a very alarming statistic, considering more than half of America’s land is used up by cattle, scientists are trying to figure out how to counteract these burps. No breakthroughs have been made though. Either way cows especially with their strong presence in America are not healthy for our planet. More evidence from (Colorado 2) discusses, Livestock production for human consumption produces almost 15% of the world's greenhouse gasses, which is more than all traffic emissions combined. Stopping the production of meat and dairy products could stop the increase in greenhouse gasses for 30 years. We just have to adapt to a plant based food system. This is a clear solution, developing a plant based food solution is becoming more and more popular. A recent documentary shows all the benefits of changing to a plant based diet, the only downside being that it was harder to put on lean muscle mass. It may be the best path to take if we want to preserve the future of our planet. We need to take a step back so we can take a correct step forward.

Now with all of the facts laid out, we can view pollutions’ affects on the rest of humanity. An article from (Hussain 3) talks about the harmful additives in livestock food. Nitrous oxide is almost 300 times more toxic than carbon dioxide when measured on a scale of 100-year Global Warming Potential. Numerous farming practices contribute to nitrous oxide pollution, including soil management practices such as the application of synthetic and organic fertilizers to grow food both for people and animals, handling manure from raising animals for food and burning crop residues. These farming practices that contribute to global warming aren’t moral. We need to find a more healthy way to get rid of animal dung and manage soil. Part of the reason we have to use all these chemicals is because the world is consuming so much meat, a switch to plant based diets would solve this. For more proof of the livestocks’ harmful effects is the fact they take up more than half the U.S. land. For example (Sustainability 2) states, “Besides emitting greenhouse gasses, another common criticism of beef production is that cows take up nearly half the land in the United States. Overgrazing of these pastures can degrade soil health and biodiversity. Yet researchers argue that, managed correctly, cows help restore healthy soils, conserve sensitive species and enhance overall ecological function. Proper cattle grazing management can even help mitigate climate change.” The quote says at the end, proper cattle grazing can help mitigate climate change, meaning if they had wide fields to roam on and eat grass they would be much healthier, not burping methane into the air. The only downside they wouldn’t get as beefy, which wouldn’t be a problem as long as America can switch to a plant based eating system. As America keeps growing we need to find a way to keep feeding the people. so hopefully. As science advances we can find ways to mitigate climate change, but we are surely running out of time. 

Lastly, scientists are starting to find new ways to slow the effects of climate change, throughout the world. (Hussain 1) reports on this research, “Forests and other wild areas of land like savannas play an important role in storing carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, forests and other natural ecosystems across the globe are being destroyed to make way for urban expansion, logging, mining and agriculture. The largest forest on earth; the Amazon rainforest, which covers 2.72 million square miles and stretches into nine different countries. Considered one of Earth’s most important terrestrial carbon reserves. Stores an estimated 123 billion tons of carbon.” Unfortunately forests are being cut down across the globe to make room for the growing population, such as the Amazon is already being cut down slowly. Some nonprofit organizations are planting more trees to help with the carbon footprint, but these nonprofits can only do so much to counteract the destruction of forests. Some governments pass bills preserving wildlife sanctuaries so they can’t be cut down, which is a big help to the nonprofits. (Davis 2) writes along the lines of, Kebreab, Mitloehner and other UC Davis scientists are looking for ways to make cows more sustainable and less gassy. One way to do that is to make their high-fiber diet easier to digest, so scientists often turn to feed supplements for this purpose. It sounds simple, but finding an affordable and nutritious additive has proved difficult. “We’ve done one trial and showed that there is up to a 60 percent reduction in methane emissions by using 1 percent of seaweed in the diet,” Kebreab said. “This is a very surprising and promising development.” Just this one percent reduced cows methane production by up to 60% imagine adding one more percent of seaweed. Although these additives are going to raise prices for food. The FDA needs to have tighter food restrictions on what farmers are allowed to feed cows. And what they are allowed to house them in. There's many ways which we can improve the livestock industry, lets just hope it is enough. 

In conclusion, global pollution is a problem and it’s only growing, although we are doing things to mitigate it. It might not be enough, world leaders aren’t  talking about it, only time will tell if we did enough to stop climate change. It starts with the livestock industry, first changing the regulations, and persuading America to switch to a more plant based diet. Let's hope we can beat the case, before it beats us!