why is it a problem that it takes so much water to produce 1kg of beef – something like 15,000 liters – if the cows just pee it all back out anyway?
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The pee either goes into the ground or into a sewer. If a sewer, it ultimately ends up in the ocean. Oceanwater and groundwater are not usable by humans unless we operate wells, desalinization plants, or wait for the water to evaporate and be rained into freshwater lakes and rivers.
When 15,000 L of clean water are diverted to water a cow, that’s 15,000 L that are not available to a city downstream that needs drinking water. Or to a hydroelectric plant that needs the water to generate electricity. Or we have to burn more fossil fuels to power the wells and desalinization to obtain water.
So you’re right, there’s no change in how much water is actually on Earth. But the cows are changing where the water is and how much of it is available today for people’s needs.
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