| The two major greenhouse gases are the carbon | | | | are other factors that make livestock farming so |
| dioxide that contributes to the greenhouse effect to a | | | | detrimental to the environment. Researchers evaluate |
| height of 60% and methane. While methane has only a | | | | that 2.5 acres of land can meet the food requirement |
| weak life span in the atmosphere, the carbon dioxide | | | | of twenty two vegetarians, but only two people eating |
| there remains for more than a century. why we focus | | | | meet, chicken, eggs or dairy products. Marc Reisner |
| mostly on the reduction of the emission of carbon | | | | author of the Cadillac Desert, sums it up in these |
| dioxide. When we use fossil energies, such as coal, the | | | | words "The West's water crisis and many other |
| oil or the gas, we burn carbon, adding thus carbon | | | | environmental problems as well can be summed up by |
| dioxide into the atmosphere: about 20 billion tons per | | | | one word: livestock". Another area to look into is in our |
| year in the world. The oceans and the forests and the | | | | cities. Each time you drive, your car is emitting carbon |
| plants; do away with about the half of this excess of | | | | monoxide. Multiply that pollution with the hundreds of |
| carbon dioxide. However, this concentration does not | | | | millions of other vehicles and you can clearly see that |
| stop growing: from 0.028% fifty years ago to 0.0365% | | | | driving a fuel engine vehicle does add to global |
| today. An additional greenhouse gas is the methane | | | | warming. One more manner that we contribute |
| (CH4), of which the concentration has doubled since | | | | towards the causes of global warming is by |
| the industrial revolution. The sources are the paddy | | | | deforestation. The trees in the forests, jungles and |
| fields, garbage dumps, bovine farms, and the | | | | rainforests are the lungs of the world. By cutting down |
| exploitation of gas and coal. The nitrous oxide (N2O) is | | | | a great amount of trees the restorative ability of these |
| another greenhouse gas that comes from certain | | | | areas are lessened. Trees need carbon dioxide to live. |
| industries such as fertilizers. As we go about our daily | | | | When big tracts of trees are cut down in one place |
| lives we rarely reflect how our lifestyles influence the | | | | the balance is gone astray. The left over trees can't |
| environment. While we may consider for a few | | | | take in all of the carbon which is in the atmosphere. |
| instants that we need to be more environmentally | | | | Due to this reality, the carbon rises in large quantity in |
| conscious, there are very few of us who truly take | | | | the atmosphere. This is also why deforestation can be |
| the time which is due. The environmental science has | | | | seen as one of the main causes of global warming. |
| made dramatic breakthrough in determining the causes | | | | Aside from these factors, chemicals like methane and |
| of global warming. The comprehensive information | | | | nitrous oxide are as well causes of global warming. |
| about global warming requires our mindfulness as | | | | These chemicals while in small amounts are not |
| many of the causes of global warming are due to us | | | | enough to cause deterioration to the atmosphere and |
| and that the global environmental outlook is getting | | | | environment. They can be considered as causes of |
| worse. How is this conceivable? The answers are all | | | | global warming when they are used for an array of |
| staring us in the face if we accept to look at them. | | | | man needed activities. These activities include the |
| The first place to look for some of the causes of | | | | raising of domestic animals such as cows. Other |
| global warming is in our food choices. Livestock | | | | chemical contributing to the global warming are artificial |
| farming contributes more to global warming than all | | | | fertilizers. When all of these events are taken |
| other factors combined. While it takes on average 24 | | | | independently you may believe they cannot cause |
| of gallons of water to create one pound vegetable, | | | | global warming. There is however lots of scientific |
| 5,200 gallons of water are needed to create one | | | | substantiation which supports this case. In order to |
| pound of beef, which strains extremely the water | | | | impede the dreadful aftermath of global warming you |
| resources as we hear more and more in the news. | | | | should look at the different global warming causes and |
| Comparably, it takes two calories of fuel to produce | | | | see what steps you can take to circumvent them. The |
| one calorie of soybean, 54 calories of fuel are | | | | more we appreciate these facts, the faster we can |
| necessary to generate one calorie from beef. | | | | halt the escalation of global warming. We should not |
| Deforestation, is another biggie, the livestock growth | | | | continue too long as nature will not wait for us to get |
| has created seven times more deforestation than the | | | | our acts straightened out. The effects of global |
| one caused by all other human activities. Water | | | | warming are warnings to us to adjust our ways of |
| pollution, heath issues, lost of biodiversity, the release of | | | | living. |
| toxins, antibiotics, GMO, pesticides, sewage, air pollution... | | | | |