You may have heard that too much beef is bad for you. Now, scientists are saying that beef is bad for the planet.

One scientific study looked at beef in the United States. The other looked at how beef is used around the world.

The first study focused on the United States. It compared raising cows to raising other meats such as pigs or chickens.

The scientists found that cows needed 28 times more land than the other animals. They also needed 11 times more water.

Cows also didn't just take land and water. They also gave off harmful gases, called greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases can have an effect on the Earth's temperature. They add to global warming and can hurt the environment.

The study said cows gave off five times more greenhouse gases than other farm animals.

What Are Our Choices?

For people, the clear answer is to replace beef with something else, said Gidon Eshel. Eshel is a scientist.

"You can still have bacon and eggs and whatever you want. As long as it's not beef, you have made a significant step forward," Eshel added.

He said the study should change people's choices at the grocery store. It should also change laws.

The second study looked at farms raising cows for beef around the world. The results showed a huge increase in harmful gases linked to animals raised for meat.

Poorer countries saw huge increases in greenhouse gases. They increased the amount of greenhouse gases by more than half from 1961 to 2010. People in these countries have been eating more beef. It is possible that they are copying American habits, one scientist mentioned.

Wealthier countries like the United States have been releasing fewer gases since 1970.

But All Livestock Contribute

Beef cattle produced more than half the gases. Dairy cattle were responsible for less than one-fourth of the gases. Sheep, buffalo, pigs and goats each contributed less than one-tenth. The largest increases came from African countries including Congo, the Central African Republic and Oman.

The beef industry disagrees with the scientists. It says raising cows for meat is more complicated than the scientists realize.]]>