Summary Of Cowspiracy The Sustainability Secret By Kip Andersen

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States, for the last 40 years, the global annual temperature has risen by 0.32°F or 0.18°C per decade. While millions assume this phenomenon is due to rapidly growing transportation systems and energy consumption, this is the farthest thing from the truth. Animal agriculture is the true culprit. In addition, according to research done by Plantbasednews.org, animal agriculture is responsible for at least 87 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In his documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, Kip Andersen shows how livestock cultivation is the leading cause of global pollution through juxtaposition to compare it to other sources of pollution and personal anecdotes to show

Throughout the film, Andersen uses statistics to aid him when comparing and contrasting sources of pollution. For example, Andersen states, “Worldwatch reported that livestock causes 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, and transportation is around 13%” (Andersen). This direct and explicit comparison of statistics reveals the hellish reality of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock in comparison to other pollution sources. He exemplifies his point further when he states, "Methane gas from livestock is 86 times more destructive than carbon dioxide from vehicles"(Andersen). This comparison of methane gas and carbon dioxide shows that animal pollution, not transportation emissions, is the real problem. In the end, this demonstrates to the audience that the most harmful hazards to the world are not caused by cars, factories, or other forms of pollution. It is necessary to focus on the pollution caused by cattle

At the beginning of the documentary, Andersen shares his childhood memories in relation to pollution. As a child, Andersen thought he could save the world from the effects of pollution simply by performing small acts like always shutting off the lights when they weren’t being utilized. However, he soon realized that even if everyone in the world did the same small acts, livestock pollution would still overwhelm their conservative efforts. This anecdote appeals to the universal ideal that small acts of cutting transportation can better the world’s pollution problem. Thus the audience relates to Andersen’s story and is more willing to listen to his claim when he shatters their preconceived expectations. Much more, the anecdote serves to showcase the immense impact of livestock pollution in comparison to transportation pollution by emphasizing that not even the entire world can change pollution if they only target transportation emissions. Secondly, to demonstrate how ineffective most environmentalists' efforts have been, Andersen uses a personal anecdote from his own journey. After revealing some concerning data about how livestock production produces more greenhouse gases than all modes of global transportation combined. Andersen shares a personal