So, on top of the GHG generated by the livestock themselves, which are large, as well as the GHG to generate fertilizer and grow the feedstock for livestock, the food we store for them also significantly generates GHG emissions?
It seems more and more like we might want to collectively reduce the amount of meat we're eating. I'm no vegan, but like, maybe eating meat only sometimes is a good idea. (Also, probably leads to less CAFOs and other questionably ethical practices if we, say, halve the amount of livestock we need.)
Why should this be the takeaway from the paper, as opposed to the fact that an additive to the silage can reduce N2O emissions by up to 99%?
The fact that you have to preface with "I'm no vegan" really sums up the entire issue of centuries-long commercial propaganda on behalf of the meat and dairy industry. Americans eat way, way too much meat and anyone who tells them to cut back is a dirty vegan. These companies don't just sell meat, but an ideology and lifestyle to boot.
As an example, I was in Florida a few months ago and my girlfriend and I casually mention that we were making a salad for dinner after someone asked about our dinner plans. Their immediate response was defensive, saying, "Are you one of them vegans? Well, we only eat meat around these parts" and proceeded to tell us all about these great deals on meat at a local store, thinking that we'd hear those prices and be unable to resist and start eating meat.
Just because we mentioned a salad, his manufactured, mass-produced opinion was that we must be vegan. We're not. She's vegetarian, I'm pescatarion, but the difference is immaterial to a meat addict who's been sold a crusade.
It's the same story with our country's cult-like addiction to alcohol. Every time I go out and don't drink, I have to explain to people that I'm not a teetotaler, and have to explain the foreign concept of moderation. They get defensive and try to get me to drink anyway, because if I don't, they're forced to reckon with their own lifestyle choices of excess. Exact same issue with our meat consumption.
Sadly, I predict that even when faced with these facts, people will continue to increase their meat consumption over the coming years, as the current trend shows no signs of stopping.
It's also unlikely the government would touch this issue with a ten-foot pole; Imagine the nonstop, angry calls a congressperson's office would be flooded with for even suggesting the most mild of regulations for beef consumption.
I try to just buy one or two really nice porkchops or chicken legs quarters from the farmer's market now and then and cook veg most other nights at home. It's nice to eat meat rarely enough that it's a splurge and a treat when we do, and the animals do live significantly better.