My concluding thoughts...

From beginning this blog in October, I have learnt so much about numerous components that make consuming beef impact the environment so severely. I most definitely think I have a developed a broader understanding of this relationship through writing this blog and I hope you all have too. My research into different areas has really alerted me about the serious destruction our consumption habits are having. What shocked me the most was the severe damage it is doing to the Amazon through intense cattle-rearing in Brazil. Having visited Brazil myself and admiring the diverse flora and fauna that is abundant, it is devastating that WE are the primary causes of its loss. 

View from Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil, in March 2015.

(source: Laura Thrower)

One aspect of writing this blog I have seriously enjoyed is it has given me continual motivation to not eat beef - to this day I haven't eaten beef in 5 months! I have even surprised myself as are many of my family as they know that steak and chips is my dream meal. Additionally, my blog posts that have explored whether it is necessary for the entire population to become vegetarian, or even vegan, have definitely made me think twice about what I am buying from the supermarket or ordering from a restaurant. Although neither of these dietary options still appeal to me...

Upon reflection of this blog, I am extremely motivated to inform my friends, family and anyone really about the great impacts that consuming beef are having on our environment and how much they are accelerating climate change. I know that not everyone is going to change their diet, no matter how many statistics I tell them or how many videos I show them. Therefore, I think that it is crucial to implement other ways to reduce the impacts of our consumption habits on the environment. In my opinion, based on my knowledge, the most efficient ways of doing so are:

1. Top-down government intervention in increasing society's knowledge of this issue.

2. Implementation of more efficient land use techniques in cattle-rearing.

3. Taxing of either meat production directly or the GHG emissions produced from doing so.

Nevertheless, I still endeavor to continue not eating beef and actually attempt to cut down on my general meat consumption. One person doing something does not seem like much, but I am a true believer that every little thing someone does to reduce their environmental impact makes a difference. If giving up beef or meat entirely seems too hard, maybe try having one day a week where you don't eat any meat! Remember - we only have ONE planet - why not do something today to ensure we don't loose it? Here's a final little video to motivate you all...

P.S. Thank you all for reading!

Switching it up: how will climate change impact beef production?

As my blog draws to a close, I have decided to look at beef production from a completely different perspective. It is clear, of course, that cattle-rearing is having and will have a huge environmental impact and worsen climate change. But, it is also obvious that climate change is having a direct impact on beef production which may have severe consequences. By 2056, it is projected that world population is set to reach 10 billion which indicates that the demand for food will be huge. In addition, rising gross domestic products (GDP) in developing countries is set to result in a shift from crop-based diets to livestock-based diets, following the similar patterns as the western world (Tubiello et al., 2007). Will our livestock population be able to cope with this AND future climate change? Time to explore this further...

Direct impacts on cattle

Climate change is projected to lead to unprecedented global warming and this intensification of warming has the ability to have detrimental impacts on our cattle population.  One of the direct ways this can affect dairy cattle is by reducing their productivity because they can overheat from too much warming as they already produce huge amounts of metabolic heat from lactating (West, 2003). Furthermore, as climate change is projected to cause temperature rises, the prevalence of pests and insects in regions that do not normally have them (i.e. high latitudes) is expected to occur (Rosenzweig et al., 2001). A study by White et al. (2003) examined the effect of a cattle tick, boophilus microplus, on Australia's beef industry under projected climate changes. One of the findings was that without any adaptation strategies to preventing this tick, the loss in live cattle's weight could be a shocking 7780 tonnes/year by 2030, or even 21,637 tonnes/year by 2100. This vulnerability was corroborated by Tubiello et al. (2007). This could severely impact the livestock industry, leading to economic and social consequences.

Indirect impacts on cattle

One of the heavily explored areas of climate change is its impacts on vegetation and plant growth. Cattle rely heavily on crops as their feed which suggests if climate change makes alterations to the growth of crops, it could have repercussions on beef production. A study by Craine et al. (2009) investigated whether changes in grasslands under climate change could cause nutritional stress in cattle using 'a continental-scale, long term database of cattle faecal chemical composition'. The study mentions that there may be a rise of C₄ grasses over C₃ grasses in the future. C₄ grasses are more prevalent in arid or semi-arid ecosystems with higher temperatures (Ehleringer and Cerling, 2002). These grasses are considered to be less efficient for cattle grazing, initially suggesting how warming may hinder beef production. Additionally the study states that projected rises in CO₂ may lead to declines in plant protein which can further affect cattle growth. Furthermore, studies have mentioned that current models may be actually overestimating crop responses to rising CO₂ levels, as it is initially projected that these increased levels can accelerate plant biomass (Tubiello et al., 2007). This may create problems when predicting what's going to happen within cattle agriculture and beef production.

Is there anything we can do?

As shown, climate change is quite a severe problem for cattle production which stresses the need for ways to reduce its impacts. Studies have reported on suggested adaptation ideas. West (2003) suggests that this can be done through modifying the environments cows graze in, such as shading mechanisms, as well as more technologically-based solutions, such as genetically developing cattle breeds so they can tolerate warmer conditions. However it could be argued that this genetic modification is unethical. Other adaptation methods are suggested in Thornton et al. (2009). One that I had not come across before or even thought of was considering crop and/or livestock insurance schemes, especially in the case of extreme weather events like droughts of floods. 

Looking at the link between climate change and beef consumption from the other end of the spectrum has been an eye opener into the vast consequences that climatic changes may have on livestock. Researching into this has highlighted to me that technological or economic strategies may be the solution to reducing the impacts of climate change on cattle. I am by no means going against my opinions as I still believe that reductions in beef consumption are necessary. However, this blog post has widened the perspectives that I have been looking at this notion from. In many cases, particularly developing countries, people's livelihoods depend on cattle-rearing and beef production, meaning that climate change could be detrimental to their income. This really emphasised to me that action must be taken now, both to reduce cattle's contribution to climate change AND to reduce the impacts of climate change on cattle. Could this really be possible?

(source: idrc.ca)