Environmental impact
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Animal husbandry has a significant impact on the world environment. Both production and consumption of animal products have increased rapidly. Since 1950, meat production has tripled, whereas the production of dairy products doubled and that of eggs almost increased fourfold.[78] Meanwhile, meat consumption has nearly doubled worldwide. Developing countries had a surge in meat consumption, particularly of monogastric livestock.[79] Animal husbandry drives climate change, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss, and kills 60 billion animals annually.[80] It uses between 20 and 33% of the world's fresh water,[81] Livestock, and the production of feed for them, occupy about a third of the Earth's ice-free land.[82] Livestock production contributes to species extinction, desertification,[83] and habitat destruction.[84] and is the primary driver of the Holocene extinction.[85][86][87][88][89] Some 70% of the agricultural land and 30% of Earth's land surface is involved directly or indirectly in animal husbandry.[90] Habitat is destroyed by clearing forests and converting land to grow feed crops and for grazing, while predators and herbivores are frequently targeted because of a perceived threat to livestock profits; for example, animal husbandry causes up to 91% of the deforestation in the Amazon region.[91] In addition, livestock produce greenhouse gases. Cows produce some 570 million cubic metres of methane per day,[92] that accounts for 35 to 40% of the overall methane emissions of the planet.[93] Further, livestock production is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide.[93][94][60]