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Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-04-25
| Subject: Eating Meat Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:26 am | |
| Deforestation in South America is mainly due to the increasing need for open land to grow livestock. In fact, 60 percent of the deforestation happening in Brazil is due to cattle ranches [source: Butler]. Many of the large meat producers and exporters of the world obtain their meat from animals raised in South America, simply because it's cheaper and easier to raise animals there. As the size of the Amazon dwindles, thousands of species disappear with it. Livestock grown in the United States and Europe is fed either through grazing or with grains, and both can cause problems if not handled properly. For example, letting the animals feed on a small area can cause overgrazing, which can affect the soil and other species that feed or live on it. Feeding grain to livestock means larger spaces are needed to grow crops, taking over open land that once belonged to wildlife. In the United States alone, 80 percent of the corn grown goes to feed livestock [source: United States Environmental Protection Agency]. Reducing meat consumption is probably one of the easiest ways to protect the environment and preserve biodiversity. Talk about it! | |
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