The meat industry is a colossal one that began a cycle, and through that cycle comes an environmentally detrimental approach to feeding people on the planet. The main issue in this vicious cycle is the water consumption. Most people do not realize that every time they order a hamburger from a restaurant, they used up around 700 gallons of water. (Los Angeles Times) That is the equivalent of taking an 8 minute shower everyday for a month. The most apparent reason for people eating meat, besides the subjectivity of the taste, and it being a societal norm, is either ignorance to its environmental effects, the nutritional benefits, or the lack of cost. Although the nutritional benefits of meat might be true, that is only for convenience sake, everything that meat provides,(PETA) especially when seeing how most meats that people eat are packed full of chemicals and preservatives that are not beneficial to the human body. (Cancer Research UK) The issue of water consumption through peoples diet of eating meat is the most relevant in the Americas, Australia and parts of Europe.(Charts Bin)
What could be done for this situation to die down slightly are regulations done state by state. California for example has been in a "Exceptional Drought," ( the worst) "Extreme Drought"(second worse) to "severe drought" (better but still bad)(California Drought Monitor) and have put regulations on the households of their Californians while the Imperial Valley (A giant area for farm land) had gone untouched in water regulations, despite their use of 70% of California's water. It is not commonly known that while Californian's pay $1000 per acre of water, farmers in the Imperial Valley pay less then $70. The states would need to enforce regulations on agriculture more than citizens, it seems that it is too difficult for people to drop their eating habits, so there must be a push from the government.
A view of how the meat industry is affecting the environment negatively.
An opposing view of why meat is healthy for people.
Another view of why the meat industry is affecting environment.
The drought in California in chronological order from 2014 to today.
More information of the affects that meat has on the environment.