What is the "Livestock Revolution?"
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

A Well Fed World (AWFW)
May 2011

[Ed. Note: With the United Nations predicting that meat consumption will double over the next 50 years, it is IMPERATIVE that we inspire, educate and nurture more people to go vegan, ASAP!]

Unfortunately, most solutions focus exclusively on increasing yield and reducing environmental problems through technological fixes or reducing population. The most obvious common sense solution, which is to reduce global and per capita meat consumption thus, reversing the "Livestock Revolution" is dismissed.

Henning Steinfeld, Chief of FAO’s Livestock Information and Policy Branch and senior author of the United Nation’s 2006 “Livestock’s Long Shadow” report, concludes: “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”

Specifically, the report echoes other research and names the livestock sector as a larger contributor of greenhouse gases (GHG) than all transport combined.

After combing through the 2006 UN report, World Watch Magazine published an article in November 2009, "Livestock and Climate Change" which details uncounted, undercounted, and misallocated factors and concluded that livestock may be responsible for more than half of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite the growing popularity of meat-alternatives and acceptance of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles in the United States and other high-income countries, meat consumption is increasing at an unprecedented rate globally.

The United Nations predicts that meat consumption will double over 50 years, moving from 229 million tons in 1999/2001 to 465 million tons in 2050. This increases 50 billion (5 million/hour) to 100 billion animals being slaughtered every year. The rates are based in the year 2000, the current rate exceeds 57 billion animals/year.

The US is by far the largest per capita meat consumer (40% more than Europe). However, the as low- and mid-income countries gain financially, they consume more animal products. With a much larger starting population, relatively high birth rates, and increasing per capita meat consumption, the result is a dangerous trend that requires immediate action to reverse.

Unfortunately, most solutions focus exclusively on increasing yield and reducing environmental problems through technological fixes or reducing population.

The most obvious common sense solution, which is to reduce global and per capita meat consumption thus, reversing the "Livestock Revolution" is dismissed. 

A Well Fed World is working to make reduced global meat consumption part of the solution-set for environmental and hunger advocates and policymakers.

Reversing the Livestock Revolution is the fastest way to:

• reduce anthropogenic “human-caused” greenhouse gases;
  
• conserve scarce environmental and water resources;
  
• increase efficiency and agricultural yield;
  
• improve public health and global food security;
  
• save animals from a brutal slaughterhouse end.

---

Return to Animal Rights Articles
Read More at The Meat and Dairy Industries