The food that will kill us

The livestock is the most unchallenged for the impact on planet and the biggest issue in modern time. 

Yes not transportation sector that cause million of death and global warming, political crisis or technological disruption that control our choices or human rights in poor countries not even wars and global diseases that we need to focus on today but instead center to the most common and the most underestimated threat that comes from our food.

The industry of livestock dwarfing all this major problems combined and you don't even imagine how bad it is right now. The greenhouse gases emission of livestock is more than transportation sector and industry sectors and people are staring blind and blaming transportation for the main cause of global warming and never ever will think that animal products on their plates are far more dangerous and harmful for the planet. The soil have been degraded that contributed to desert zones,  the water have been polluted and decline in biodiversity is obvious. One study throw light on the livestock topic and assert that about 70 billions farm animals are right now produced for food, not only that but since civilization was established, the human race has caused the loss of 83 percent of all wild animals and 50 percent of all plants. So from all mammals on the planet 60% are livestock 36% are humans and only 4% are wild mammals, for the birds are 70% produced and 30% are wild. Once again this show how much human and livestock impact on the surrounding environment. .

The presentation below is is the real data based from UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) that was available until October 2017. From 77% of the area 33% are for growing feed crops and 26% is occupied by pasture

In UK alone the land used for Livestock is 85% this can't be sustainable in long terms when we know that population will expect to grow to 2,4 billion people in coming 30 years what is about 32% of 7.4 billion today. But as the global standard of living increases, demand for agricultural products will increase by about 70% in the same period according to FAO. This mean that from 37% of remaining forest today humans need to cut off the all the forest and still we will not solve the problem with land for livestock but also destroy sensible ecosystems in the forest, ocean, lands what today is known as the six mass extinction and undoubted that many people will die and the risk is high that extinction of human kind is on the horizon if we don't change our habits.

There is many problem with livestock as water consumption, taking in consideration that humans produce 70 billion farm animals this demand huge amounts of water and consequence is evident. Many regions have been turn to desert, river and lakes has has dried up and after corporation and farmers used all the water on the surface they drilled a spring to consume the last ground water. What is wrong with ground water? Taking constantly water from one well is affecting regions that are far far away from the source. For an abstract example if you take water from New York the water will never reach Philadelphia or Baltimore or Washington and the worst thing that you can't blame right a way New York if you don't see the cause of problem that are hidden under the earth.

Is there anything that can stop this hunger of death machine?

Yes something we can still do to avoid unnecessary destruction. From big to small implementation we should take in consideration this solutions:

1. To eliminate or decrease considerably consumption of animal products.

2. Stop cutting forest to save wild habitat and important ecosystems from what still have left.

3. To eliminate or decrease substantially food waste which is 30 to 50% of all food production.

4. To increase yields of crops per square meter with innovative ideas and technology as vertical farming.

This would require a change in our lifestyle and for sure will not be easy but this is the only way to save us and the planet. Each and everyone can make a difference so why not start today?