Animal Agriculture is the practice of confining huge numbers of animals together in extremely small spaces to exploit their bodies for human consumption. Animal Agriculture is the practice of confining huge numbers of animals together in extremely small spaces to exploit their bodies for human consumption. Global warming, also known as the global climate crisis, is seriously exacerbated by animal agriculture. Here’s how: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Greenhouse gas emissions are known to trap the sun’s heat within the atmosphere, leading to planetary warming, which can disrupt normal weather patterns. Cars and planes are commonly-known culprits of greenhouse gas emissions, but did you know that animal agriculture generates huge volumes as well? It turns out that animal agriculture contributes an estimated 14.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions—more than cars, planes, and the transportation sector at large. And, that’s a conservative estimate. Deforestation In places like the Amazon rainforest, animal agriculture is among the leading causes of deforestation. Forests are burned and cleared in order to make way for cattle pasture land. Forests are also replaced with mono-crops such as corn, soy, and wheat, that are turned into feed for the animals trapped on factory farms. Due to these two land-usage issues, animal agriculture is causing massive destruction of the world’s remaining forests. Water Pollution Factory farms pollute water through the enormous volumes of phosphorus- and nitrogen-rich waste produced by animals. In some cases, such as on hog farms, excrement is collected in vast, open-air waste lagoons that can seep into groundwater or spill into adjacent rivers or lakes. This pollution can cause algae blooms, which can result in massive die-offs of fish and other marine life.