WHY ARE OUR CONSUMPTION HABITS UNSUSTAINABLE?
A few days ago, I watched the documentary Cowspiracy, and I was struck by some realities that are not widely discussed in public discourse today.
One of them is the role of the livestock industry in rising pollution and environmental degradation. While I was already aware of animal abuse in industrial farming, thanks to documentaries that expose these realities without fear, the idea that the meat industry could be the #1 contributor to greenhouse gas emissions triggered an alarm in my mind.
I looked into the data presented by the Cowspiracy project on its website: www.cowspiracy.com/facts, and I was surprised to find the following:
- “Methane is 25–100 times more destructive than CO₂ over a 20-year period.”
- “Methane has a global warming potential 86 times greater than CO₂ over a 20-year period.”
- “Livestock and its by-products account for at least 32,000 million tons of CO₂ per year, or 51% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.”
There is much more information on the website. It is true that the data is not recently updated, but we are still referring to a documentary from 2014—and since then, there has been no major breakthrough in environmental protection at the global level.
In the Youtube documentary these figures stood out to me in particular:
- Livestock accounts for more than 500 nitrogen-dead zones, equivalent to 250,000 km² of lifeless land.
- The livestock sector produces 65% of nitrous oxide, a toxic gas that is 296 times more harmful than CO₂ in terms of global warming impact.
- Agricultural emissions are projected to increase by 80% by 2050, driven by rising global consumption of meat and dairy products.
- According to environmental specialists from a World Bank group, livestock is responsible for 51% of climate change impacts (using global greenhouse gas accounting standards).
In addition, one of its studies reveals that animal farming is responsible for 30% of global water consumption, uses up to 45% of the world’s land, accounts for 91% of the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, and is a major driver of ocean degradation, habitat destruction, and species extinction.
I firmly believe that each person should contribute, in their own way, to environmental and social well-being.
However, the documentary also raises more controversial questions about environmental organizations and their mission. Experts featured in the project argue that: “Any meaningful discussion about the state of our oceans must begin with an honest conversation about livestock production.” Yet this conversation is often absent in mainstream environmental groups. These organizations tend to focus their awareness campaigns on less controversial topics, avoiding confrontation with powerful interests such as large-scale livestock, poultry, and fishing industries.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the documentary lies in the question of information suppression. It raises an important concern: Why is there a lack of transparency or clarity from leaders regarding the impact of animal-based agriculture on our food systems and the environment? And more importantly—how can this be corrected quickly?
The authors suggest:
“Global governmental institutions, such as the United Nations and its FAO, must examine all facts and present them in an interconnected way. They should then be able to openly address imminent threats to our survival, such as food choices and agricultural systems that promote disease, are ecologically unsustainable, and tolerate unnecessary mass suffering—rather than supporting their continuation.”
In my humble opinion, current levels of meat consumption are unsustainable. There are few regulations that limit it- in fact, many systems actively encourage it. Every time we increase meat consumption unnecessarily, we indirectly increase demand for livestock production.
At the same time, we are heavily influenced by cultural, social, and nutritional narratives that shape how we perceive food. Breaking away from these patterns is complex, however, even small changes can contribute to a more conscious relationship with nature and its limited resources.