A predicted global increase in food consumption is likely to create an environmental crisis where it’s least expected. Studies link a rise in industrial food production to an increase in the already large number of so-called “dead zones” in coastal waters.
Dead zones are so named because they lack sufficient oxygen to support fish, crustaceans, and other forms of marine life. The World Resources Institute (WRI) recently labeled them a “rapidly growing environmental crisis.” More than 400 have been identified worldwide, and researchers have spotted one in the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River that’s roughly the size of a small country — 7,500 square miles and growing.
A major contributor to the problem is industrial agriculture, according to WRI. Too much animal manure and crop fertilizer is entering into and contaminating freshwater and coastal ecosystems. The nitrogen and phosphorous they contain overfertilize the algae and phytoplankton that grow on or near the surface of the water, causing the plants to grow at an unnaturally high rate. The unusually large amounts of algae inevitably die and sink to the bottom of the gulf. As the plant matter decomposes, it exhausts much of the oxygen from the surrounding water. This process is known as eutrophication.
Since much of the manure from factory farms runs off into freshwater streams before being transported out to sea, the problem it isn’t limited to coastal waters. Eutrophication may be the primary reason for freshwater problems in the United States, WRI claims. And eutrophication doesn’t just impact the environment — it affects human health and economic systems as well.
Global consumption of meat is expected to increase by more than 50% within the next 25 years. WRI reports that a surge in livestock production in particular would have serious repercussions for developing countries that lack strong, enforceable environmental regulations.
The situation isn’t much better in the developed world. In the United States, manure from cows, pigs, and chickens does not legally have to be treated (unlike human sewage), so it mostly isn’t. The industry has repeatedly blocked and resisted any regulation of runoff and waste.
There are other causes of eutrophication as well, including fossil fuels and runoff from large urban areas. These are also expected to increase as the world population increases, and as developing nations continue to grow.
The issue has remained largely under the radar because, unlike large catastrophic events, this type of pollution has been occurring at a low enough level over a long enough period of time to avoid drawing attention to itself. The long-term risks are also revealing themselves slowly over time, and for now remain largely unknown, unnoticed, and undetected.
In terms of solutions, one starting point that many policy makers believe is long past due is requiring animal manure to be treated like sewage and regulating its disposal. Several last-ditch geoengineering solutions are being considered, such as large-scale aeration systems that would pump oxygen into the dead zones. Closer to home, consumers may consider supporting organic, locally grown, small-farm produce and to cut down on meat consumption. — Aaron M. Cohen
Source: World Resources Institute, www.wri.org.