In full disclosure, I love a good hamburger. I have wonderful memories of eating hamburgers fresh off the grill in the summer with ketchup and mustard dripping down my hands.<\/p>\n
I stumbled across a documentary the other day that presented some depressing facts about hamburgers, the livestock industry, and climate change. To my dismay, I can\u2019t look at hamburgers in the same way.<\/p>\n
Here are two facts that really stuck with me:[1]<\/a><\/p>\n These facts are difficult to believe. Environmental advocacy efforts rarely talk about the livestock industry when they talk about our global greenhouse gas emissions or about our water usage. The conversation usually focuses on eco-friendly transportation or on shorter showers. I had no idea something as delicious as a hamburger could have such hidden negative consequences for our environment.<\/p>\n After watching this documentary, I started to think more about our consumption of hamburgers and other animal products in the United States. According to the North American Meat Institute, the total livestock industry accounts for 6% of US GDP or approximately $860 billion.[2]<\/a> Americans consume approximately one billion pounds of beef (approximately 8 billion hamburgers) at McDonald’s alone. [3]<\/a> [4]<\/a><\/p>\n As a leading supplier of hamburgers in the United States, McDonald’s must be one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters today. If McDonald’s doesn\u2019t feel the impact of climate change on its operations today, it will likely feel it in the future. Citizens, advocacy groups, and government organizations will likely push for stricter regulation of the livestock industry. McDonald’s will likely feel pressure from climate campaigns to reevaluate their supply chain to avoid a sustained detrimental impact on the environment.<\/p>\n There is nascent evidence of advocacy efforts and policy change in this direction already. Though the National Center for Biotechnology Information claims that only 6% of Americans are aware of the impact of livestock on the climate, the conversation is growing.[5]<\/a> [6]<\/a> Documentaries like Cowspiracy<\/em> and Meat the Truth <\/em>have attracted attention. The Chinese government recently announced a plan to reduce Chinese citizen\u2019s meat consumption by 50% to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030. [7]<\/a> Climate campaigners have applauded the Chinese government\u2019s statement as an example for other global leaders to follow. We can expect government regulation and reduced consumer demand for hamburger meat to be a future concern.<\/p>\n If hamburger production and consumption is more strictly regulated, McDonald’s will need to reevaluate its product offering and potentially refocus on more vegetable-based options. Simply switching to more vegetable-based food products will not be easy for McDonald’s or for its customers. McDonald’s customers love their greasy burgers. Maintaining popularity among customers while redesigning its menu to be less meat focused would be a challenge.<\/p>\n McDonald’s faces more than just the threat of regulation and reduced customer demand. McDonald\u2019s supply chain for hamburger meat and other ingredients is vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns and natural disasters. As climate patterns become less predictable agricultural yield for ingredients and for cattle feed becomes sub-optimal. Increased temperatures, more frequent drought, and increased salinization of water from rising sea levels could also limit access to clean water for agriculture yields and for cattle. The unpredictable impact of climate change on McDonald\u2019s supply chain could significantly increase the cost of inputs and limit supply.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to imagine a world without McDonald\u2019s hamburgers. They are a staple of the American diet. But when it costs 660 gallons of water and high volumes of greenhouse gas emissions, can we afford to take a bite of that happy meal?<\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n (1)\u00a0Infographic. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http:\/\/www.cowspiracy.com\/infographic<\/span><\/p>\n (2)\u00a0The United States meat industry at a glance. (2015). Retrieved November 4, 2016, from https:\/\/www.meatinstitute.org\/index.php?ht=d\/sp\/i\/47465\/pid\/47465<\/span><\/p>\n (3)\u00a0Lubin, G., & Insider. (2012, April 30). 13 disturbing facts about McDonald\u2019s. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http:\/\/www.thefiscaltimes.com\/Articles\/2012\/04\/30\/13-Disturbing-Facts-About-McDonalds<\/span><\/p>\n (4)\u00a0Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http:\/\/www.mcdonalds.co.uk\/ukhome\/whatmakesmcdonalds\/questions\/food\/portion-sizes\/how-much-does-your-beef-burger-weigh-in-grams.html<\/span><\/p>\n (5) de Witt, A. (2016). People still don\u2019t get the link between meat consumption and climate change. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from https:\/\/blogs.scientificamerican.com\/guest-blog\/people-still-don-t-get-the-link-between-meat-consumption-and-climate-change\/<\/span><\/p>\n (6)\u00a0de\u00a0Boer, J., de Witt, A., & Aiking, H. (2015). Help the climate, change your diet: A cross-sectional study on how to involve consumers in a transition to a low-carbon society. Appetite.<\/i>, 98<\/i>, 19\u201327. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26673412<\/span><\/p>\n (7)\u00a0Milman, O., & Leavenworth, S. (2016, June 22). China\u2019s plan to cut meat consumption by 50% cheered by climate campaigners. The Guardian<\/i>. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/jun\/20\/chinas-meat-consumption-climate-change<\/span><\/p>\n PHOTO:\u00a0Hamburger HD wallpaper. (2013, July 8). Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http:\/\/www.wallpapervortex.com\/wallpaper-31582_food_hamburger.html#.WBzDOvkrI2w<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In full disclosure, I love a good hamburger. I have wonderful memories of eating hamburgers fresh off the grill in the summer with ketchup and mustard dripping down my hands. I stumbled across a documentary the other day that presented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2161,"featured_media":8797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-8793","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/climate-change-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\n\n