Do you know how many animals are raised and killed for meat, eggs, and milk every year in the United States? The answer is 9 BILLION. There are more farmed animals raised every year in the U.S. than there are people on the entire planet! Farmed animals produce 100 times as much waste as all the humans in this country. This is unsustainable.
Animal agriculture pollutes waterways, ecosystems, and air because of the massive amounts of waste that come from these farms. There are pools of waste around factory farms that spill into local waterways. Air around factory farms is also extremely polluted and harms local wildlife, humans who live near the farms, and their companion animals.
Animal agriculture is also a leading cause of the climate crisis due to deforestation as well as greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss (of plants and animals). These harms to the environment occur at every size and type of animal agriculture operation.
The bottom line is, raising animals for food causes extreme animal suffering and wastes enormous amounts of land, food, energy, and water. Research shows that meat and dairy products are fueling the climate crisis, while plant-based diets — focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans — help protect the planet.