But there are other negative consequences of an animal-based diet, ones that are having larger, planet-wide effects—effects that may well place not just farm animals but the entire planet in jeopardy. THE TOLLS OF FACTORY FARMING Global Warming The United Nations has determined that raising livestock for food purposes generates more climate-heating gases than do all carbon-dioxide-emitting vehicles combined—in other words, cows are worse than cars. Some startling figures: The livestock sector accounts for nearly 10 percent of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions, 37 percent of methane emissions (methane is about 23 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas). It also produces 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions (nitrous oxide is 296 times more powerful than CO2) and 64 percent of human-induced ammonia emissions, a significant contributor to acid rain. While CO2 is responsible for roughly half of human-related greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution, methane and nitrous oxide (both of which are released via livestock’s natural digestive processes) are responsible for one third.
