My research question is something I have been passionate about for a while now and cannot wait to learn more about it. I saw a documentary last year called Cowspiracy, which dealt with the damaging effects on the environment caused by the meat industry. After I saw this documentary, I was intrigued that not many people knew what the meat industry was doing to our earth. I have also been a vegetarian for the last five years, which started so I could protest against animal cruelty. Now that I know what the meat industry is doing to the environment, my reasons for being a vegetarian have developed into something more. I have researched this topic a great deal after I saw the documentary and I am interested in this topic, which makes me qualified to write this paper. Even if I cannot convince people to become vegetarians, I can educate people to my fullest potential. I hope to learn more so I can educate the people in my life about something that affects not only the environment, but also everyday life. 

A documentary released in 2014 called Cowspiracy touches on the truth about the meat industry and what powerful corporations have hid for years. The meat industry is investigated to be the world's leading cause of the growing greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere; This is more than factories and transportation combined. Many people do not know that it affects the earth as much as it was reported in the film. The major values and interests at stake for the source are that the meat industry is covering up the fact that it is damaging the environment to this extent. The filmmakers are Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. Andersen is the founder of a non-profit focused on creating films. Kuhn is an award winning filmmaker that is credible with research and in the film industry. Both of these directors are known in the film industry and around the world as renowned researchers. The statistics and research combined show the public a new outlook on the environmental issues in the present and future. The data that was collected and the people organizing the film, combined, are the catalysts to changing the world, as we know it.

"Consequences of Increased Global Meat Consumption on the Global Environment -- Trade in Virtual Water, Energy & Nutrients" is an article written by Cassandra Brooks that deals with the issues of the meat industry. Experts predict, by the year 2020, all meat consumption will double, only adding to the problem. A team from Stanford University begins to research the effects the meat has on the environment. Greenhouse gases are the sole cause of global warming and the meat industry creates greenhouse gas emissions greater than anything else in the world. The major values and interests at stake in this article deal with the research element of the source. Brooks discusses the problems we are facing and going to face in the future if something does not change. Solutions are brought up as suggestions but they may not be possible at this time. Many solutions brought up deal with eating less meat as a whole, which may seem pretty impossible to the meat lovers but it is not. In the last decade, our countries meat consumption has decreased substantially because of all the people becoming vegetarians or people trying to watch their weight. The author of this article is a PhD student in Environmental and Resources at Stanford University. Brooks is qualified to write this article because she has been studying topics surrounding the environment for years. She is also trying to educate herself more on the topic of the meat industry, which shows she is capable of obtaining more knowledge to strengthen her claim. 

An article in TIME magazine, "The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production," discusses the impacts of animal agriculture on our environment and how our earth is turning into one giant farm; One third of earth's land is used for animal agriculture. Everything from raising to slaughtering livestock causes damage to the environment. The biggest impact this has on the environment is creating more greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon that states that the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hold in heat around the earth. The major values and interests at stake in this article include, hard evidence, which uncovers the truth hidden from the public for decades. Each fact sheds light on the truth that animal agriculture and the meat industry need to be altered or the planet may not survive another hundred years. The author of this article is senior editor at TIME, Bryan Walsh. This makes him a credible source for information because he works for a magazine that has covered may events and issues around the world. TIME magazine is known as a media outlet that discusses the truth around about the earth. Walsh's article demonstrates how the animal agriculture industry is damaging the earth.

My research question is arguable because it can be a controversial topic in the science community. For many years, the truth about the meat industry and animal agriculture has been hidden from the public because of overbearing corporations. Also, many can argue that transportation is the leading cause of climate change, even though this is not true. There are even some people who do not believe climate change is happening. My sources support my claim that animal agriculture and the meat industry are ruining our planet, one thing at a time. Throughout the documentary and articles, the main topic is discussed except with different viewpoints on which aspect is killing earth. One may say that animal agriculture is more dangerous and another one may say the meat industry is more dangerous, but overall they all come together and say how humans need to change something. Either people need to stop eating meat and animal products or the government needs to regulate the meat industry in a way that makes it more sustainable. Both of these ideas seem impossible but if one person stops eating meat, they can make a difference. My opinion on this topic is that something needs to stop so our earth doesn't slowly disintegrate in front of our eyes. 

