Milk consumption is bad for the environment.

Dairy farming has a large environmental impact, contributing to environmental issues and climate change. Dairy cows require land to graze, house, and produce food for them, and this land use is a huge portion of worldwide land use. Land that could alternatively be healthy ecosystems supporting the environment is transformed into grazing fields for cows, and their toll on land use is large. In addition, the land that cows use is grazed and trampled over, making it almost impossible for a healthy ecosystem to thrive there ever again. Land used by cows also contributes to environmental problems such as acidification and eutrophication (leading to low oxygen) of waters surrounding dairy farms. Farming of cows requires enormous amounts of water, so dairy farms are a huge contributor to water use. Water is used primarily for hydrating cows, because milk is primarily water so cows require lots of water to produce it. Water is used in large amounts for cleaning dairy facilities. In addition, producing milk constantly drains cows’ metabolisms, making them require lots of food. Growth of feed (commonly grass, grain, and alfalfa) for dairy cows uses huge amounts of water because cows eat water-intensive crops. Water usage negatively harms the environment by taking freshwater out of freshwater ecosystems where plants and animals thrive, and contributing to water scarcity and drought in regions where water is not abundant. Dairy farming also contributes to climate change through greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming and extreme weather events. Cows produce large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, powerful greenhouse gases which harm the environment.

P[1] Milk production is bad for the environment.