Agriculture

What is agriculture doing to the planet?

What is agriculture doing to the planet?

Agriculture causes several huge environmental issues that contribute to climate change. For one, in order to have agricultural land, the land must be cleared; deforested. The single greatest cause of deforestation is animal agriculture. And at this rate, by 2030 only 10% of the world’s forest will remain. 18 million acres of forest are lost a year to agriculture. Without forests to store carbon, it is let out into the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm. Not only does this occurrence contribute to climate change, but it causes habitat loss for many plant and animal species as well.

Agriculture also causes soil degradation. Most commercial farming practices involve excessive use of chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. These chemicals alter the chemistry of the soil and the soil’s overall health. This not only degrades the soil and reduces fertility, but also harms all the organisms and habitats in and around it, including water quality.

Agricultural practices also put out high greenhouse gas emissions. This is primarily through farming’s use of fossil fuels in their machines and operations, as well as production of methane from livestock. These greenhouse gasses contribute greatly to climate change. Agricultural farming makes up approximately 10% of all U.S gas emissions.

Agriculture as it is now is a killer of biodiversity. The deforestation, mono culture, chemicals, and pollutants of agricultural land all contribute to the loss of biodiversity. This decreases the number of plant and animal species in the area. Biodiversity loss has detrimental Impacts on the planet. It affects everything from food supply to spread of disease.