What are some environmental impacts of livestock farming?

The choice highlighting water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation represents critical environmental impacts associated with livestock farming.

Livestock farming can contribute significantly to water pollution through runoff that contains fertilizers, animal waste, and antibiotics, which can contaminate water bodies and harm aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, the production of livestock is responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which is produced during digestion in ruminant animals like cattle. This greenhouse gas is more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, contributing to climate change. Deforestation is often linked to livestock farming as forests are cleared to create pasture land or for growing feed crops, leading to loss of habitats and biodiversity.

In contrast, the other options suggest positive effects that are not generally observed in the context of intensive livestock farming. Improvements in air quality and soil health may occur under certain sustainable practices but are not common outcomes of conventional livestock farming. Increased biodiversity and habitat protection are typically goals of conservation efforts rather than a direct consequence of livestock farming. The reduction of carbon footprint is often a goal of alternative farming practices, but intensive livestock operations generally do not achieve this outcome.