Query: The amount of land we use for meat — humankind’s biggest use of land — has declined by an area nearly as large as Alaska

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Alaska <=SEP=> Alaska ( -LSB- əˈlæskə -RSB- ) is a U.S. state located in the northwest extremity of North America . The Canadian administrative divisions of British Columbia and Yukon border the state to the east ; its most extreme western part is Attu Island ; it has a maritime border with Russia to the west across the Bering Strait . To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas -- the southern parts of the Arctic Ocean . The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest . It is the largest state in the United States by area . In addition , it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States ; nevertheless , it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America , its population ( the total estimated at 738,432 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015 ) more than quadrupling the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland . Approximately half of Alaska 's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area . Alaska 's economy is dominated by the fishing , natural gas , and oil industries , resources which it has in abundance . Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy .   The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30 , 1867 , for 7.2 million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ( $ 4.74 / km2 ) . The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11 , 1912 . It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3 , 1959 .

Agriculture <=SEP=> Agriculture or farming is the cultivation and breeding of animals , plants and fungi for food , fiber , biofuel , medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life . Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization , whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization . The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science . The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years , and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates , cultures , and technologies . Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture farming has become the dominant agricultural methodology .   Modern agronomy , plant breeding , agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers , and technological developments have in many cases sharply increased yields from cultivation , but at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects . Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat , but have raised concerns about animal welfare and the health effects of the antibiotics , growth hormones , and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production . Genetically modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture , although they are banned in several countries . Agricultural food production and water management are increasingly becoming global issues that are fostering debate on a number of fronts . Significant degradation of land and water resources , including the depletion of aquifers , has been observed in recent decades , and the effects of global warming on agriculture and of agriculture on global warming are still not fully understood .   The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods , fibers , fuels , and raw materials . Specific foods include cereals ( grains ) , vegetables , fruits , oils , meats and spices . Fibers include cotton , wool , hemp , silk and flax . Raw materials include lumber and bamboo . Other useful materials are also produced by plants , such as resins , dyes , drugs , perfumes , biofuels and ornamental products such as cut flowers and nursery plants . Over one third of the world 's workers are employed in agriculture , second only to the service sector , although the percentages of agricultural workers in developed countries has decreased significantly over the past several centuries .

Human overpopulation <=SEP=> Human overpopulation occurs when the ecological footprint of a human population in a specific geographical location exceeds the carrying capacity of the place occupied by that group . Overpopulation can further be viewed , in a long term perspective , as existing when a population can not be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or given the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population .   The term human overpopulation refers to the relationship between the entire human population and its environment : the Earth , or to smaller geographical areas such as countries . Overpopulation can result from an increase in births , a decline in mortality rates , an increase in immigration , or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources . It is possible for very sparsely populated areas to be overpopulated if the area has a meagre or non-existent capability to sustain life ( e.g. a desert ) . Advocates of population moderation cite issues like quality of life , carrying capacity , and risk of starvation as a basis to argue against continuing high human population growth and for population decline . Scientists suggest that the human impact on the environment as a result of overpopulation , profligate consumption and proliferation of technology has pushed the planet into a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene .

Human impact on the environment <=SEP=> Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact on the environment includes impacts on biophysical environments , biodiversity , and other resources . The term anthropogenic designates an effect or object resulting from human activity . The term was first used in the technical sense by Russian geologist Alexey Pavlov , and was first used in English by British ecologist Arthur Tansley in reference to human influences on climax plant communities . The atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen introduced the term `` Anthropocene '' in the mid-1970s . The term is sometimes used in the context of pollution emissions that are produced as a result of human activities but applies broadly to all major human impacts on the environment .

Meat <=SEP=> Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food . Humans have hunted and killed animals for meat since prehistoric times . The advent of civilization allowed the domestication of animals such as chickens , sheep , pigs and cattle . This eventually led to their use in meat production on an industrial scale with the aid of slaughterhouses .   Meat is mainly composed of water , protein , and fat . It is edible raw , but is normally eaten after it has been cooked and seasoned or processed in a variety of ways . Unprocessed meat will spoil or rot within hours or days as a result of infection with and decomposition by bacteria and fungi .   Most often , meat refers to skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues , but it may also describe other edible tissues such as offal . Meat is sometimes also used in a more restrictive sense to mean the flesh of mammalian species ( pigs , cattle , lambs , etc. ) raised and prepared for human consumption , to the exclusion of fish , other seafood , poultry , or other animals .