Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a vegetarian, is calling for us to cut back on eating meat for one day a week and to decrease our intake from there. The economist suggested this is the most immediate and feasible strategy in reducing greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. Dr. Pachauri's work on this issue earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, which he shares with Al Gore.
What's the connection between meat-eating and global warming? According to a 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, worldwide livestock farming is responsible for 18% of our planet's greenhouse gas emissions. This is a big deal considering that all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats only account for a combined 13 percent of emissions. The growing demand for meat also results in the cutting down of trees to make room for pastures or farmland to grow animal feed. The FAO estimates that approximately 70% of former forest cover has been converted for grazing.
In addition, factory farms increase methane production which comes from the tons of animal waste each farm produces. Bovine methane has 21 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide and is eliminated through their waste as well as flatulence. The belch from a single cow can emit 25-130 gallons of methane a day.
Critics of Pachauri's suggestion note that we can't have a one-size-fits-all solution in such a diverse world. Others claim that a meat-eating habit could be the way to a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly pattern of food production if our livestock are fed on grass, not grain, as pasture fields increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil.
One thing from all of this is certain: it will definitely give some food for thought as we're planning what to have for dinner tonight.
Source: BecauseAction.com
