Does animal agriculture affect air quality?
Here’s what the former CEO of the Institute of Toxicology and Safety says. by Wendy Powers According to Roger McClellan, science alone cannot set standards. Judgment is required to determine how low is low enough for air emissions and their effect on human and environmental health. McClellan is the former CEO for the Institute of Toxicology and Safety, and his data show that aggregate air emissions have decreased by 49 percent since 1980, despite a 32 percent increase in the U.S. population. But where does animal agriculture fit in? McClellan said that animal agriculture will play an important role in meeting future air emission regulations, pointing out recent and increasing interest in greenhouse gas emissions and the implication of animal agriculture in worldwide methane production. At the recent conference on Balancing Animal Agriculture and Communities, McClellan shared data showing how aggregate emissions have decreased in the past two decades, despite an increasing gross domesti