I heard something to do with Nitrogen and …cow farts(?) I am really unsure of this and would like to learn more.

Answer -

4 Parts

  • Ethical reason for consuming animals
  • Methane produced by cows are a harmful greenhouse gas which is contributing to our current climate crisis
  • Health Reasons - there is convincing evidence that processed meats cause cancer
  • it takes a lot more calories of plant food to produce the calories we would consume from the meat.

Details about the answers are in the comments

  • jeffw@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    We can’t have more cows if they don’t have food. We need to cut down trees to grow other stuff to feed the cattle. Global demand for beef is rising, mainly due to increases of standards of living in Asia.

    So how do we raise more cattle without more farmland to grow food for them?

    • TwoFace211@feddit.ch
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      1 year ago

      Great question, one I don’t have the answer to. But the cows themselves aren’t the issue, it’s deforestation. There is a balance or course.

      • jeffw@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The cows are the issue though. If people buy beef, it doesn’t come out of the sky. How do you raise an animal without feeding it?

          • jeffw@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Ah yes, let’s stop illegal rainforest destruction by banning it. Nobody ever tried that l! /s

                  • anaximander@feddit.uk
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                    1 year ago

                    Continuing to support demand for beef at current rates as the population grows means that beef production must increase. That means we need more cows. Where do you propose we put all those cows? The current solution has been to cut down trees to create usable land. What’s your alternative?

                  • jeffw@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    I can’t tell at this point if you just don’t understand causality, you’re fishing for downvotes (is that a thing on Lemmy now?), or you’re a meat industry shill