Fate - Blog Post 3

Fate Jacobson
38 W 11th St, Reno,
Reno, NV 89503
Fate.Student@gmail.com

25 March 2019

Sonny Perdue
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Mr. Perdue,

I’m reaching out to you in regards to the carbon emissions produced by
livestock, and how these emissions can greatly be reduced with a simple
solution.

Globally, livestock account for nearly 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Cattle alone account for 65% of these emissions, which means cattle is
responsible for roughly 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the United
States only has about 10% of the worlds cattle population, so our cattle are
responsible for 1% of the world's Co2 emissions. It’s easy to dismiss this figure
as being insignificant, but, consider for a moment, a scenario where 1% of
victims who were murdered during the holocaust were spared. Bonaire,
Georgia (the city where you grew up and currently live) has a population of
around 16 thousand people, 1% of holocaust victims being spared would be
more than 10 times that amount of people (170 thousand).

It may seem dramatic and maybe even insensitive to compare the holocaust to
the consequences of global warming, but, it is a valid comparison when we
consider that by the year 2050, 250 thousand people will die each year as a
direct result of climate change according to experts. This would mean the Co2
emissions from our cattle today will be responsible for 2,500 deaths every
year. Unlike the holocaust, there won’t be some enemy for us to defeat that
will stop the suffering, instead, climate change will continue to cause havoc
over the decades. By 2060, 25 thousand people will have died as a direct
result of our cattle’s emissions, by 2150, 250 thousand people will die as a
direct result of our cattles emissions (this estimate is very conservative since I
haven’t increased the death rate of 250 thousand people over the years. That
rate is likely to be higher by 2060 and much higher by 2150). The point is, 1%
of Co2 emissions is very significant, and if we can easily diminish this figure,
we should. Not to mention the fact that the U.S. is a world leader and any
policies we put in place are typically mimicked in other countries, which means
any measures we take to reduce our emissions will likely have a large global
impact.

So here’s the easy solution, seaweed. Early research in california has found
that supplementing a tiny amount of seaweed in a cow’s diet will reduce its
emissions by nearly 99%. That’s it, that's the solution. The research isn’t final
but experts say the results are extremely promising and surprising.
Farmers today are already finding it difficult to meet emission regulations and
as these regulations become more strict over the next few decades, many
farmers will be forced out of the industry. Just a little bit of seaweed can slash
these farmers emissions and easily allow them to meet government standards.

So not only could 2,500 lives be spared each year by 2050, but more farmers
would also be able to stay in the industry and contribute to the U.S. economy.

Because of this, I believe the government should subsidize this new research
and subsidize it’s implementation immediately.

Sincerely,
Fate Jacobson