Students, parents, and the everyday person are being told that the Earth is warming due to rising Carbon Dioxide levels. They are being told that the main reason for this rise in temperature is the burning and usage of fossil fuels however, what they’re not being told is that their dinner could be causing CO2 levels to rise...even more so than their cars.
   The average american produces up to 20 tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, for one person alone. As shocking as this may be, the culprit to Americans’ rise in CO2 footprint isn’t only their cars/transportation, but their actual food, specifically meat and dairy. The United States is known for being among the biggest food consumer in the world. According to NPR’s The Salt, the average American consumes nearly one ton (in weight) of food per year. Out of that ton, 630 pounds is  diary, including cheese, milk, ice cream, and yogurt, and 270 pounds of it is meat. The United States as a total consumes 24 billion pounds of beef yearly. That’s nearly double the amount of the average country in the world and incredibly,  that’ s only the tip of the iceberg. The environmental cost to produce meat and dairy is unpayable. On one side of the scale, we have the space issue; the meat and dairy industry simply take up far too much agricultural space. That space was once an ecosystem with animals and trees before it was blazed down to make space for cattle. On an average, the cattle (meat and dairy) industry takes up about ⅓ of the space in the world. In the United States, it takes about 40% of land space. This equates to nearly half of our country’s lands being used to produce a product we don’t really need: beef and dairy. But once again, that isn’t the only issue raising cattle creates!
    On the other side of the scale, raising and maintaining cattle creates an unfathomable level of CO2 emissions. We have all been taught that the burning of fossil fuels and transportation are the leading causes of CO2 emission. According to TIME magazine, the average cow produces enough greenhouse gases to equal four tons. The average car produces enough greenhouse gases to equate merely 2.7 tons. Meaning, one cow produces twice as much CO2 as a car does, and the effects are even more devastating on a worldwide level. The burning of fossil fuels, according to Treehugger, only accounts for about 48% of greenhouse gases. Cattle is responsible for about 51% of greenhouse gases. Meaning your steak or baby back ribs are the leading cause of CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, our government receives a total of 60 billion dollars in profit out of the cattle industry and by telling people that the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions is the very thing they are eating, the government would lose massive sums of money. Most citizens, however, continue to believe that the amount of meat they are consuming is healthy, and because of this belief, they continue to produce too much CO2. This lack of knowledge is why our country continues to be the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emission. Even though many people have been led to believe that by walking, riding their bikes or taking the bus everyday, they could significantly decrease the amount of greenhouse gases by simply not eating meat.
    Unfortunately, we have reached a point where taking the bus won’t be enough to save our country or our planet. The first step, as Americans, is to drastically cut our greenhouse gas emissions by not eating meat. Perhaps in the future, veganism would be the ideal lifestyle, but for many it is too big of a step to take. Becoming vegetarian will dramatically help cut emissions and deforestation however, this isn’t the only option. According to the Vegetarian Society, the average meat consumer uses up about twice as much land as a vegetarian, and almost five times as much as a vegan. By going vegetarian, you would cut the amount of land used to make your food by nearly half. The result would be more land for wildlife and vegetation, and less greenhouse gases in the air (which is produced by cattle). You wouldn’t only be benefiting the earth, but you would also benefit your health. The fat found in meat, when consumed in large quantities, can take a while to break down. Without exercise, that fat ends up congesting around your veins, causing diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and much more. It can even clog the small vein vessels around your brain, leading to memory loss. Not to mention, the cruel extermination and treatment of animals, would decrease. The fate of the planet is in the hands of people just like you and me. Now, it isn’t a matter of what can we do, but rather what we are willing to do. Not eating meat and benefiting the environment and our health is a solution that guarantees a better future for the planet and us. So, what are you willing to do to preserve the livelihood of your world? 
Links to information related to this topic:  http://science.time.com/2011/03/30/sile … he-planet/ - emissions caused by cattle
government site on value of beef and cattle products:
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal- … ation.aspx

I agree that something needs to be done to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas that cows emit.  In 2011, methane from livestock accounted for 39 percent of all the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, according to a report that United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization released Friday. Awareness of the negative affects that red meat has on a person's health is increasing, and many people are already starting to take red meat out of their diets. With this information, hopefully more people will be willing to move away from the consumption of meat in order to reduce global warming.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/201 … re-to-stay