How cows could be damaging the environment

December 1, 2015

Many consumers are switching over to grass-raised beef, but it could be doing more harm than good

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How cows could be damaging the environment

Americans consume about 25 billion pounds of beef annually, but the country's love affair with cattle comes at a stiff cost to the environment. Livestock production is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, even more than transportation. Even with consumers switching over to grass-raised beef, there are concerns regarding whether that's better for the environment. In this America Tonight excerpt, Christof Putzel looks at the welfare of cattle and whether "free range" cows are actually in worse shape than those raised in factory farm conditions.


 

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