Consequences of Global Warming on Our Planet. Essay

Consequences of Global Warming: Meat Consumption
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Consequences of Global Warming: Meat Consumption
Introduction
A major challenge facing the planet today is global warming. Global warming is the gradual rise in the planet’s temperature due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere attributed to human activities (Nunez, 2019). Climate change, on the other hand, refers to complex shifts that affect the planet’s climate and weather systems (Nunez, 2019). One of the major contributors to global warming is meat consumption by humans. According to Sans and Combris (2015), there has been a significant rise in meat consumption in the last 50 years due to a rise in per capita income. While the annual consumption was 23.1kg in 1961, the amount rose to 42.29kg in 2011 (Sans & Combris, 2015). Given that the consumption of meat is associated with increased levels of greenhouse gases, the dietary patterns of humans have a significant effect on global warming. This paper argues that meat consumption by humans is a major contributor to global warming that results in the economic challenges, social injustice, damage to ecosystems, and health problems,.
Discussion
Human Activity
Meat consumption in itself is a human activity that has a significant contribution to greenhouse gases that results in global warming. As informed by Machovina, Feeley, and Ripple (2015), the production of livestock is the main driver of the loss of natural habitat in the world. The authors point out that the last three centuries have seen more than a six-fold increase in pasture areas. As a result of land being converted into food production, almost half of natural grasslands and about a third of natural forests in the world have been lost (Machovina, Feeley, & Ripple, 2015). It is important to note that human agricultural activities for direct consumption have also contributed immensely to deforestation. However, as pointed out by Machovina, Feeley, and Ripple (2015), the production of livestock that also includes feed production accounts to about three-quarters of all land that is used for agricultural purposes. In this sense, the production of livestock, which is a key major activity that is driven by the demand for meat, is a key contribution to the destruction of natural grasslands and forests.
It is important to recognize the impact forest degradation has on greenhouse gas levels. According to a study by Pearson, Brown, Murray, and Sidman (2017), deforestation in 74 developing countries resulted in 2.1 billion tons of CO2 being emitted annually from 2005 to 2010. Forest degradation, therefore, is a key human activity that contributes to global warming. As humans continue to cut down forests for wood fuel harvest, timber, and land for agricultural purposes, the important carbon pools are destroyed leaving the planet warmer. The resultant rise in CO2 in the atmosphere traps heat hence contributing to global warming.
The burning of fossil fuels by humans is perhaps the biggest contributor to global warming. Human activities such as transportation and industrial production processes burn a significant amount of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In regards to meat consumption, Machovina Feeley, and Ripple (2015) point out that intensive agriculture is highly reliant on non-renewable fossil fuels. The production of feeds, machinery operations of meat plants, and transportation of meat products make use of fossil fuel hence contributing to greenhouse gases. Therefore, it is evident that all the processes that make it possible for humans to consume meat contribute immensely to greenhouse gases and consequently global warming.
Consequences of Climate Change
The above described human activities result in a shift in climate and weather patterns that negatively impacts the planet and its occupants. Given that meat consumption is a key contributor to climate change, it is deducible that it causes the challenges that are felt by the planet and biodiversity. According to research by Dellink, Lanzi, and Chateau (2019), climate change has significant economic consequences that impact the lives of humans on the planet. In agriculture, climate change results in changes in crop yields and fisheries catch (Dellink, Lanzi, & Chateau, 2019). Rising temperatures limit the number of crops and fishes that farmers harvest, hence leaving them worse off economically. Climate change in coastal zones results in loss of capital and land due to rising sea levels. As the level of the sea rises, the land that is available to humans for economic purposes reduces. As a result, the ability of people to advance themselves economically reduces. Furthermore, extreme weather events such as hurricanes result in the destruction of capital (Dellink, Lanzi, & Chateau, 2019). It is evident, therefore, that climate change, which is partly caused by the consumption of meat, has serious economic consequences...