Lazenby, Ruthie. “Livestock Operations Are Responsible for over Half of California’s Methane Emissions-Why Won’t Carb Regulate Them?” Legal Planet, 26 Oct. 2023, legal-planet.org/2023/10/26/livestock-operations-are-responsible-for-over-half-of-californias-methane-emissions-why-wont-carb-regulate-them/. 

This article goes into detail about the meat industry and how it is severely unregulated by the government as it is constantly producing large amounts of greenhouse gasses in addition to breaking servela laws. The problem with the meat industry especially in the U.S is that it is unfair to many as it provides unequal opportunity to the smaller business and helps the larger industrialized business with things like subsidies.

There are many factors and layers surrounding the meat industry that it is very difficult to come up with a olution. We rely so heavily on livestock to both feed us but also for things like fuel but since the government is constantly trying to protect this area it is very difficult for advocates of environmental injustice to try to fight them. As the government continues to protect and subsidize these livestock companies it makes it very difficult for places like California to come up with a solution even though there’s a lot of social pressure and the economic loss is too great. This ultimately connects to the concept of the environment as if we don’t figure out a solution to the problem with for example cattle and their emissions than time will pass and with that will come more and more GHG in the atmosphere ultimately adding to the spread of climate change al over the world which will affects humans,animals and the world in general.

Quinton, Amy M. “Lab-Grown Meat’s Carbon Footprint Potentially Worse than Retail Beef.” UC Davis, 4 Aug. 2023, www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/lab-grown-meat-carbon-footprint-worse-beef. 

This article describes the huge controversy that surrounds the world of lab grown meat as some believe that it is the future of food while others believe that it would devastate not only the economy but the environment as well.The article goes into detail describing how cultures meat can be way more negatively impactful to the environment than that of regular meat production although it could benefit humans greatly, it begs the question on whether it is the right thing to do for the environment. There are many benefits to lab grown meat for humans as it would reduce prices and supply excess food but the cost would be the huge impact it would have especially on climate change which till this day is a huge problem people fail to recognize.

I believe that lab grown meat could be detrimental to the environment but this cost if lowered could outweigh the consequences due to the fact that meat production can be very long and a lot of work while lab grown meat could be modified and could be distributed a lot easier with the right technology making prices go down and the lives of many way easier especially for those that lack food.In this point in time i believe that lab grown should be further researched and we must find another way to have a sustainable food source that is both healthy for humans and the environment. The big impact this has on the environment is its effect on climate change due to the fact that climate change has been a rising issue through these past decades. It will only get worse if we misuse our resources and neglect the impact we have on the environment which in the future will be detrimental to our advancement.California needs to try to take charge and find other alternatives as it has a big impact on the environment being one of the most industrialized and populated places in the world.

Kodas, Michael. “California’s Top Methane Emitter Is a Vast Cattle Feedlot. for Now, Federal and State Greenhouse Gas Regulators Are Giving It a Pass.” Inside Climate News, 25 Aug. 2023, insideclimatenews.org/news/18082023/californias-top-methane-emitter-is-cattle-feedlot/. 

This article elaborates on the fact that meat production in california has a huge effect on the environment like Bradt company cattle ranch which is the biggest feedlot in all of california producing huge amounts of greenhouse gasses.It also compares the amount of greenhouse gasses that this feedlot produces and how california has been suffering from many things like drought and wildfire which have affected the surrounding areas heavily. People in the U.S and especially in california have been trying to get the United states to try to lower emissions from cows as they are very concerning to the environment and also bringing into attention how the U.S has been ignoring the effects that meat production has on the environment. 

I believe that states like California have a personal responsibility to try to advocate for better ways of protecting the environment and taking into consideration how things like the ranch described in the article have huge effects not only in california but the rest of the world and the future generations.The facts are there and some of them are that the amount of greenhouse gasses produced in ranches like this in california produce as much as 165,000 cars in the U.S which is crazy amount of GHG which ultimately has a huge impact on the environment and climate change as the mor GHG that is emitted the more rapid the effects of climate change can be felt and seen across the world.I think it is important for people in california to recognize that the food they eat can have a huge impact on not only themselves but  the environment as well and how this could affect the future generations.

McFadden, C. (2024, January 26). Study slashes lab-grown meat cost, engineers bovine muscle stem cells. New technique could yield cheaper, tastier lab-grown meat. https://interestingengineering.com/science/cheaper-lab-grown-meat-production

A group of scientists from Tufts University made a breakthrough in synthetic meat production. This breakthrough has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of synthetic meat production. The group engineered stem cells to produce FGF which is a key component in triggering skeletal muscle cell growth which is needed to produce the meat. This new strategy is replaces the old one that contributed to 90% of the production cost for lab-grown meat. This means with this new technique we could see lab-grown meat dropping down to much more affordable levels.

This article was very exciting to read. With this breakthrough, there is potential for lab-grown meat to drop to levels comparable with actual meat. The cost is considered one of the biggest issues with current synthetic meat meaning if there is a way to overcome that the potential for synthetic meat can be much greater than we thought. This relates to environmental science as this breakthrough could lead to synthetic meat taking up a much larger market share for all meat. Lab-grown meat is much more environmentally friendly meaning if there is a way to bring the cost to a comparable level, the actual production and need for meat will drop as well. This would allow for a great decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production.

Sustainable Brands. (2024, January 26). US meat industry: Meat, dairy sustainability efforts contribute to Global Goals. https://sustainablebrands.com/read/defining-the-next-economy/us-meat-industry-sustainability-global-goals

This is an interview of Julie Anna Potts the President and CEO of the Meat Insitute. She discusses the meat industry’s role in climate solutions and sustainability. Her initiative the Protein PACT is trying to make sustainable meat production a part of the climate conversation. She specifically mentions the commitment to greenhouse gas reduction in meat production. Her overall point is that people don’t need to eat less meat to help the environment, there are many other ways to optimize meat production that would also help reduce its environmental impact.

This article was a very interesting read. It was surprising to hear that, if the production is optimized, you don’t need to eat less meat to still benefit the environment through meat. While the way Potts talks about the idea is a bit idealistic the fact that there is a chance to fix meat production is very exciting to hear. This relates to environmental science as the entire point of the article is how it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in meat production. If the meat producers can optimize their production then people won’t have to worry about how their meat consumption will affect the environment.

Kay, S. (2024, January 17). US beef industry may see more red ink in 2024. Food Business News. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/25375-us-beef-industry-may-see-more-red-ink-in-2024#:~:text=The%20US%20Department%20of%20Agriculture’s,28.291%20billion%20lbs%20in%202022

The beef industry in the US is seeing a major decline compared to past years. The production is way down compared to past years which is leading to overall price increases and producers struggling to find profitability. This decrease in production is due to the mass liquidation of cattle. Companies are reporting their first monetary losses in years. In turn, due to this beef decrease, there is an increase in pork and poultry production which is expected to continue into the future. This increase in pork and poultry is also expected to add to the decrease in beef production. 

This article was interesting to read. It was surprising to hear about an expected decline in red meat as it to me still seems insanely popular. It was also interesting to read that due to this beef decline pork and poultry production are starting to rise. This article relates to environmental science because of how major of an issue beef production is for the environment. The amounts of greenhouse gases released by a group of cattle are incredibly impactful. With a drop in cattle production, we can expect to see a slight drop in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock which will overall help the environment. Also due to an increase in pork and poultry, there is an expectation that beef levels will stay lower. The impact that pork and poultry have on the environment is much less than that of beef making it overall beneficial.

Hagstrom, J. (2023, November 9). USDA issues new rules on red meat purchases, poultry contracts and seed sales. DTN Progressive Farmer. https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-policy-blog/blog-post/2023/11/09/usda-issues-new-rules-red-meat-seed

An executive order was announced that required all red meat bought by the USDA must be born, raised, and killed in ths US. The basic idea behnd this order is to make sure the meat is produced in the US as a way to support US producers. On top of this a new rule was placed that requires poultry companies to disclose earnings. Seed companies are also required to be more transparent with farmers durings sales. All these changes are meant to address competition issues however people are concerned about potential cost spikes.

This article was interesting to read as I never considered how much money the USDA themselves spent on meat. Reading that $800 million was spent buying meat in the past year was shocking. It was also surprising that the rules on buying homegrown meat weren’t already in place. It seems obvious that an American agency should be buying from American producers. This article relates to environmental science as it somewhat unintentionally reduced the meat industry’s carbon footprint. Since there is now a requirement to buy American-produced meat greenhouse gas emissions are reduced due to lower travel-related emissions.

Torrella, K. (2023, December 15). Big meat just can’t quit antibiotics. Vox. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/1/8/23542789/big-meat-antibiotics-resistance-fda

After two major changes to laws regarding antibiotic use on livestock, a major drop in their use was seen by about 42%. In the years since these changes however, antibiotic use is back on the rise. Despite some livestock industries, notably chicken, switching completely off of antibiotics products like beef and pork are still unable to turn away from the antibiotics. The article advocates for more regulations to be put into place as there are still loopholes preventing antibiotic use from truly dropping. It also notes that Europe and some parts of the US have moved from antibiotics with little issue.

This article was pretty surprising to read. It mentions how antibiotics are being used more commonly by the meat industry rather than actual humans. At one point the meat industry was even buying up 69% of the total US antibiotic supply which was shocking. This article relates to environmental science as it shows how unnatural our food production has gotten and remains. This type of unnatural growth of animals is what leads to things like cows being such a major contributor to climate change. The industries ability to make sure animals won’t die allows them to have tons. This in turn leads to issues like excessive methane release which is a major contributor to our planet’s climate change. However, this article also mentions the need for more land if the US were to move away from antibiotics. This in turn will cause a larger carbon footprint for the pork making it a hard issue to balance.