3 ms·

Think about America pre-colonization: a continent filled with ruminants happily munching away, being hunted at sustainable levels. To my mind that is peak susta

Think about America pre-colonization: a continent filled with ruminants happily munching away, being hunted at sustainable levels. To my mind that is peak sustainability and environmental friendliness. That's with a population of on the order of 10 million for the entire continent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_indigeno... Naturally grazing cows wouldn't even come close to sustaining the current demand for meat. Industrialized animal agriculture exists for a reason.

dilap 8y ago
That's fair, but still, my point is raising beef is not intrinsically unsustainable and destructive. Though I agree, it's probably not a reasonable primary food for most people at current population levels.
- cageface 8y ago
  Yeah it might make sense to do on a controlled scale in the right climates, but it wouldn’t even come close to meeting current demands. People would have to get used to eating meat a few times a week.
hexane360 8y ago
Not to mention that that 10 million count includes many tribes/societies based around fishing, and an entire civilization based around farming sustainably: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)