Hidden environmental costs of cattle ranching will haunt Colombia’s future: Study
Apr 26, 2013 ?
Hidden environmental costs of cattle ranching will haunt Colombia’s future: Study
posted by Benjy Hansen-Bundy
As Colombia’s livestock industry eats away at the Amazon rain forest, the hidden environmental costs will be passed down to future generations, an expert said Thursday.
Carbon dioxide emission from slash-and-burn land clearing, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, and water pollution represent the major environmental costs of converting the Amazon rain forest into pasture for livestock, according to a recent study by Trucost on behalf of the UN-backed program The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).
Cattle ranchers do not bear the burden of these costs, known as “externalities,” because they take their toll on a large geographical scale over time.
Moreover, the environmental externalities dramatically outweigh the real profits of the livestock industry, said TEEB.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/hidden-environmental-costs-of-cattle-ranching-will-haunt-colombias-future/
