Essay Sample on The Environmental Impact of Dairy Industries: Finding Sustainable Alternatives

Introduction

Scientists agree that dairy industries have a negative impact on the environment. It takes up large pieces of land, fertilizers and a lot of water to grow pasture for cows. A lot of energy is also used in the processing raw milk, packaging and delivery of the milk products. Cows also produce methane which causes more harm to the environment than carbon dioxide as a result causing environmental disruption. This has resulted to the people trying out other alternatives which are more sustainable each having their own negatives and positives. Such alternatives include: almond milk, coconut milk, flax milk, hazelnut milk and hemp milk.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Dairy industries require a lot of pasture and water for milk production. As compared to any other milk alternative, dairy milk is the most expensive to the environment. The carbon footprint of the meat and emission of greenhouse gases by manure has been an increasingly huge challenge to the environment. The amount of water required in cleaning floors, feeding cows and milking equipment adds up really fast. Additionally, manure and fertilizers used in dairy farms can cause water pollution if it is not handled with caution. Increase in nutrients in local waterways can result to the growth of algae in water sources which as a result causes reduction in oxygen for aquatic life.

Dairy farming is a major contributor to soil erosion. Turning forests into grazing grounds and causing high levels deforestation. Grazing grounds could cause serious issues of soil erosion. Hooves from the cattle also cause erosion of the top soil which takes a long time to be replaced. Overgrazing is a common cause of soil erosion which as a result causes land degradation. When the land loses its top soil, its productivity reduces equivalently.

There is a need to have a more sustainable alternative to the dairy milk. There is need to have an alternative that will spare the rate at which environmental resources are being exhausted, which include land and water. These are vital environmental resources that need to be protected. Dairy farming is using up these resources carelessly and depleting the earth on usable land and water. Regarding land use, for instance, dairy milk uses much more land as compared to alternative kinds of milk. Water usage in cleaning the stables, feeding the cows and in processing is extremely high. It is therefore essential to have a better way to combat this high usage of land and water to conserve our planet.

It is for the above reasons that better and more suitable alternatives to dairy milk have been adopted. Some of these alternative milks include: soya milk and almonds milk. Alternative milks are processed from plants as opposed to dairy milk. To solve the problem of soil erosion and land degradation, water pollution and over usage, the use of plants as alternative milks impacts the environment positively. Alternative milks are obtained from trees, which as a result hold the soil together preventing erosion. Roots from these trees also increase aeration of the soil and improve its properties. Generally, the amount of water used in production of alternative milks is lower as compared to the amount used in dairy farming. This therefore, saves the world a lot of water which could have otherwise been used in dairy farming.

Nevertheless, there are negative impacts to land and water experienced from alternative milks. Some of these impacts of production include the use of water and pesticides which may cause long lasting environmental problems especially for areas that are drought stricken. The amounts of pesticides used during irrigation find their way into water sources causing water contamination. Monoculture results to depletion of nutrients in the soil and hence lowering the soil nutrients and productivity. This result by having farmers plant a single crop over and over and as for the case of commercial crops, they end up overdoing it to ensure constant returns and as a result lowering soil's productivity.

Coconut milk is alternative milk obtained from coconut trees. It has very low environmental impacts. The farms are eco-friendly and they use small amounts of water to produce coconuts. This therefore saves a lot of water. However, coconut milk has negative environmental impacts. Monoculture has become a problem where farmers are cultivating the same type of crop over and over and as for these case coconuts. The areas become unproductive due to monoculture and this motivates farmers to grow even more coconuts in order to maintain the constant demand. Replacing native biodiversity with coconuts to meet demand causes infertility of the soil. This as a result, leads farmers to use fertilizers to boost productivity and as a result have a long term effect on productivity of the soil. These chemical fertilizers often get eroded to water bodies causing water contamination.

Almond milk is plant milk manufactured from almonds with a creamy texture and nutty flavour. Production of almond uses a lot of water. A single almond uses 4.16 litres to grow. However a carton contains a few almonds and therefore it contains a smaller water footprint than dairy. When the concentration of a single produce is in one area it might start impacting the environment. For a short period of time it makes economic sense but after a long period if concentration it causes serious negative impacts to the environment. Concentration of a single plant in one area causes infertility of the soil. Lowering fertility as a result will lead to user of chemical fertilizers to improve production which also has long term effects on the environment. The use of chemical fertilizers has negative long term effects on the soil and also these chemicals could contaminate water bodies. Fertilizer contamination in water bodies causes growth of algae which as a result depletes oxygen from the water bodies damaging marine life.

Soy milk is obtained from soybeans and it is a popular alternative to dairy milk. It is a plant based product and as compared to animal-based products, it has lower impacts to the environment. It has a lower impact on land use, water and climate change as compared to dairy farming. Soybeans cultivations do not require a lot of water for the plan to grow. It has various environmental impacts both positive and negative. On the positive side, it prevents soil erosion conserving land and also does not require a lot if water during cultivation and therefore it is environmental friendly. In the production of milk, soya uses two times less the land needed to produce the same amount of milk as dairy farming. There are also negative impacts to this alternative milk. The use of pesticides in soybean farming has a negative impact on the environment. These pesticides alter the pH of the soil and also when washed by surface water ends up contaminating water sources.

There are various alternatives of milk to dairy milk and they all have various positive and negative impacts on the environment. Both dairy and the alternatives have pros and cons and on adopting either method, impacts to the environment can be observed. For the dairy milk, large volumes of water are used in feeding and processing of the milk. Soil erosion and land and deforestation are common as farmers try to find pasture for their cows. These are serious impacts to the environment. Alternatives milks also have impacts to the environment. Large volumes of water are also needed for the planting and processing of the milk. Long term effects such as soil infertility and water contamination also impact the environment. Both dairy and alternative milks have pros and cons but when it comes to impacting the environment, the alternative milks are a better gamble on the environment to dairy milk.

Milk is an essential source of proteins and it provides demand on the market place. Farmers need to be advised to adopt environmental friendly tactics to cope with the constant demand without having to destroy resources such as land and water. Both nut and dairy milks have various impacts on the environment and should. Nut milk is a bit eco-friendly on production and it should be adopted. Dairy farming has quite a number of negative impacts on the environment and should be checked and solutions found to minimise soil erosion, land degradation and water pollution.

Work Cited

Guibourg. Clara& Briggs.Helen. "Science and Environment." BBC News, 22 Feb 2019, www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment.

Gerber,P.J, et al. :Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock. A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities, FAO, 2013.

Deborah, Green Impact. University of California San Francisco, Jan 2018, www.sustainability.ucsf.edu. Accessed 20 May 2019

"Ethical Living, Real Food, Zero work." Is Almond Milk Bad for the Planet, 20 April 2017, www.trendingmyownpath.com/2017/04/20"

Cappiello.Julie. "Dairy Milk Results in Three Times More Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Vegan Milk." ,Mercy for Animals, 14 Jan 2019, www.mercyforanimals.org.