Bill HF2852

Author
Mena Koch
Two Rivers High School
House

Essay

Passing this bill would make it a requirement for rulemaking to require the environmental impact statement for large animal projects. Large-scale livestock operations have significant impacts to our environment, and it's important we protect our Earth's conditions. Effects include water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and more.  According to research at Stanford University, 14-18% of global greenhouse gas emissions are from livestock production. Additionally, more than 2/3 of all agriculture land is being used for growing food for livestock, while only 8% is used to grow food for humans.

Another reason it is critical to pass this bill is because people are simply unaware of the environmental impacts caused by the livestock industry. An article posted by the National Library of Medicine states, "Despite the high awareness of consumers about the health benefits of reducing meat consumption, the environmental impacts of reducing consumption are barely known. A number of studies conducted in Europe showed that consumers may be concerned about animal food production, but their knowledge on this issue is very minimal and often comes from unreliable sources, and thus many continue to consume animal products." Therefore, passing this bill is important to raise awareness and concern over the environmental toll large-scale livestock operations have on our planet.