Because they produce a significant amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs), primarily methane emissions, beef and pork are viewed as being bad for the environment. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with a warming effect on the climate that is roughly 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide. It contributes to around 16% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

I was quite surprised by these facts as well. I found some interesting facts about type of meat that leads to most methane - apparently, beef and lamb are the biggest problem as they contribute the most to methane emissions. The biggest surprise was that chocolate and coffee production contribute to methane emissions more than pork for example (https://ourworldindata.org/carbon-footprint-food-methane - this is where I found it), so it is never all black and white.

I totally agree that the impact animal agriculture and factory farming has on the environment is substantial. According to the Humane Society International, animal agriculture is responsible for AT LEAST 16.5% of GG emissions! Not only t his but they are also a leading cause of deforestation and loss of biodiversity. This way of processing meat, specifically cows, is also the largest source of methane production [in the US]. Through animal manure, intense amounts of nitrous oxide are getting released into the atmosphere. Over the span of 100 years, this gas is 273 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide! With such a large production from factory farms, manure creates a continuous flow of nitrous oxide getting released into the atmosphere. With just simply adjusting our diets, we could substantially lower the amount of GHGs emitted by cattle and other large-scale produced animal meat. Scientist agree that a larger focus on plant-based foods could be 1/5 of the way towards holding global temperature below 2 degrees C. Simply eating plant based foods 2 times a week could be a start towards you journey to helping save the planet. Plant based burgers result in 98% less GHS emissions than burgers made of beef. However, I think more drastic measures need to take place if we want to see a dramatic lowering of GHG emissions in terms of factory farming and animal agriculture. How can countries and individuals promote more plant based diets and start creating a change towards lower production of meats and similar products and how can we make sure this change is sustainable to the ever-growing population?

https://www.hsi.org/issues/climate-change/
https://www.peta.org/features/climate-c … explained/
https://sentientmedia.org/does-animal-a … te-change/

For more information about how animal agriculture contributes to climate change, I would watch the 10 minute video below about what needs to happen to help massive environmental destruction:

Beef and pork have a significant negative impact on the environment. Raising these animals requires a lot of land, which leads to deforestation as forests are cleared to make space for grazing and growing animal feed. Secondly, these animals produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Thirdly, the production of beef and pork requires massive amounts of water and contributes to water pollution due to the runoff of manure and fertilizers into rivers and lakes. Additionally, the resources used to grow animal feed, such as corn and soy, could be utilized more efficiently to feed humans directly. Lastly, the transportation and processing of beef and pork also contribute to carbon emissions, further exacerbating the environmental impact. found in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

I too love to eat meat however if we just recognize that what we are doing could be and infact is really bad for our planetwe can realicze that we dont give a dam give me my meat

I stopped eating meat around 3 years ago because of the impact beef ad other meat has on the environment. if you don't have other health restrictions I think it's a really good way to cut back on your imprint, especially if you are living in a city or traveling a lot.

I had no idea that chocolate and coffee contributed more to methane emissions than pork. After learning more about how much beef and pork and other such meats contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, my family has mostly cut out most kinds of meat from our diet. If we have meat, it’ll almost certainly be chicken. I think that considering our diets is an important factor in combating climate change that not enough people care about, even if they know how bad meat is for the environment.

This is actually why I eat a lot of chicken over the other meats is one of the biggest changes I made to try and be more Eco friendly. Its also why Ive been trying to cut out meat entirely and do at least 3 vegetarian meals a week.

Meat isn't bad or releasing methane into our atmosphere, the animals that provide the meat are. Yes, they are being raised but what solution do you consider? Regardless if you go vegan or not it has 0 effect on the methane that will still be produced by these animals. Honestly, they should be raised for food. Imagine if we didn't have cows as a main source of beef and just didn't kill them. If you want to talk about deforestation then I think that's a faster way to achieve that, just letting all cows be free. I will continue to eat meat. Red meat is one of the healthiest things you can consume.