The Effects of Factory Farming on the Environment Essay Sample

Factory farming is a modern style of agriculture in which livestock such as cattle, pigs, or chickens are housed in small cages called battery cages to supply human food demands. To reduce operating costs, factory farms contain huge numbers of animals to be raised for food in small, cramped living conditions. Factory farms are harmful to the environment. Factory farming is a significant contributor to global warming. Large amounts of pollution are produced by factory farming. Because of the large number of animals grown in these factories, tons of manure and other waste are dumped into lakes and rivers, contaminating them with tons of bacteria. The dirt around the factory farms is soiled and no longer fertile, and woodlands will be destroyed to expand the factories. The air around factory farms is extremely polluted. Factory farming is a major cause responsible for global warming, such as pollution and deforestation. Factory farming is a significant problem in the United States; therefore, alternatives need to be in place to fix this problem.

In order to reduce the negative effects of factory farming, the US needs alternatives that give the same benefits as factory farming, such as using clean meat. In the article, Contributor Josey Kitson explains the effect factory farming has on the environment, contributing to global warming. She refers to a study out of the Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that conducted research on the numbers of greenhouse gas emissions by livestock. The study demonstrates, “Farm animals are estimated to account for 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally and more than 45 per cent of the land surface of earth is used for grazing or growing feed crops for these animals,” (HuffPost). This shows that having an alternative that reduces these negative effects but keeps the same gain is beneficial. This demonstrates how farming affects the environment in negative ways, such as pollution and deforestation, and it explains that factory farming is a contributor to global warming. In a different part of the article, Contributor Josey Kitson explains how millions of Canadians have reduced or eliminated eating meat because of the cause of animal welfare concerns. She introduces clean meat as an alternative for those who don’t want to eliminate meat as a part of their diet. The quote illustrates, “It's called ‘clean meat,’ also sometimes referred to as ‘cultured meat’ or ‘cell-based meat’. This is actual meat grown from animal cells but developed in a lab without the need for factory farming. It tastes like meat because it is meat,” (HuffPost). This shows that there’s an alternative to the cruelty that animals are in during factory farming. This also demonstrates this alternative keeps the same benefits. Along the same lines of clean meat, this section of the article explains how this alternative is safer compared to factory farming while yet producing the same results. According to the article, “Farm animals produce the greenhouse gas methane and while carbon dioxide is often thought of as the most devastating greenhouse gas, methane is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas. Unlike conventional meat, clean meat produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less water pollution,” (HuffPost). This illustrates that clean meat is better for the environment, producing fewer gas emissions and water pollution. It also shows the difference of each method and its use of the land. This is important because the problem of global warming that  factory farming creates in the US can be reduced with the alternative, clean meat. It proves that this method has the same benefits to factory farming, but it doesn’t create as much pollution. 

In order to reduce the harmful impacts of factory farming, the US needs alternatives that give the same benefits as factory farming, such as using plant-based meats. In this article, Alison Robicelli explains major differences of the impact to the environments that plant-based alternatives have. She refers to a study out of the Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, conducting research on changing one's diet to include more plant-based options that might potentially free up farmland.. According to the article, “They estimate plant-based meat uses 41 percent less land than fish farming, 77 percent less land than poultry, 82 percent less land than pig farming, 89 percent less than beef from dairy cows, and a whopping 98 percent less land than beef from beef herds,” (Reader’s Digest). This shows that having this alternative significantly reduces space used. It is beneficial for the reduction of land used for factory farming because factory farming contributes to deforestation and changing this can help reduce global warming. In this other part of the article,  Allison Robicelli  continues to explain the major differences of the effects of environments that plant-based alternatives have than meats. She refers to Stephanie Feldstein, director of the population and sustainability program at the Center for Biological Diversity, who points out the environmental impact between the two. According to the article, ‘“The most popular plant-based alternatives, Beyond [Meat] and Impossible Burgers, produce about 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with beef,” she says. “They reduce land use by at least 93 percent and water use by 87 percent to 99 percent. They also generate no manure pollution.”,’ (Reader’s Digest). This shows the impact of plant-based alternatives’ impact to the environment. It proves that producing this alternative is better because it doesn’t create as much harmful GHG, and it doesn’t use as much space needed with factory farming. This is important because the problem of global warming that factory farming creates in the US can be reduced with plant-based alternatives. It proves that this method has the same benefits to factory farming and reduces the amount of global warming contributed with factory farming. 

A major contributor to global warming is factory farming. Because factory farming is a major issue in the United States, these alternatives should be implemented to address it. If this problem continues, global warming, pollution, and decreasing biodiversity will continue to rise, causing chaos in the environment. Factory farming's environmental consequences are much too high for it to continue to control our food system. Alternatives need to be provided in order to stop factory farming. Factory farming needs to switch with alternatives that provide the same benefit and produce less pollution and global warming.