Let that sink in. 47% of all consumptive water in California (water that has been extracted and cannot be replaced) is consumed by the production of meat and dairy!
At a time when California is in its fourth year of extreme drought, a drought which is exacerbated by climate change, and with the drought's end nowhere in sight, 47% of its water is being consumed by its meat and dairy industry.
California Governor Brown has instituted the first ever California mandatory water restrictions, seeking a 25% reduction in household water use which utilizes 4% of California's consumptive use. Even if California is successful in reducing household use by 25% it will only reduce consumption by 1%.
From Huffpo...
According to The Pacific Institute, agriculture accounts for 80% of California's total water usage, including alfalfa, the crop that uses the most water, and which is used to feed farmed animals. Meat and dairy alone account for a whopping 47% of California's consumptive use of water, which means that water has been extracted and cannot be replaced.
The environmental footprint left by factory farming from water use (as well as land use, greenhouse gases, energy use, and health problems), is part of the reason the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recently recommended that Americans eat less meat.
Many are looking to
grass-fed beef as a possible eco-alternative to the factory farmed product, but that's not looking like a viable alternative.
[...] In fact, pasture raised animals require more water than their factory farmed cousins, because they have a higher activity level and spend more time in the sun, especially during the summer months. Grass-fed beef can also produce 50 to 60 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than their grain-eating counterparts, sometimes producing as much as four times more methane emissions than feedlot cattle, reports Science News.
This graph is from a
report (pdf) by the Department of Land Air and Water Resources at UC, Davis. The orange and yellow bars are what’s grown to feed animals, not humans.
This chart shows that it's time to
stop demonizing almonds Almonds are providing the shiny object distracting people from the real water villians: the meat and dairy industry.
Looks like the Water Wars in California are being won by burgers, milk and butter and those who profit by them.
My other articles about California water crisis here, here and here.