Taking Global Warming Personally (and Shedding Some Holiday Weight at the Same Time)
After the tradition of Thanksgiving overindulgence, wouldn't it be nice if we had a good reason other than vanity to start eating healthfully, some other incentive to help us get on a better track in the wellness arena? Luckily, the United Nations just gave us one.
The U.N.'s latest report on global warming has bad news and good news. On the downside, a lot of scary stuff is heading for us at breakneck speed. On the upside, we still have time to do something about it -- and one thing we can all do is actually fun and delicious.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a panel of thousands of the world's top climate scientists, has described the existence of human-caused global warming in its final assessment report as both "unequivocal," and as having "abrupt and irreversible" effects on global climate. Worse still, these effects are coming stronger and faster than expected in the panel's last report just six years ago. Alarmingly, some effects that had been predicted to arrive decades from now are already here.
The report warns that hundreds of millions of people are threatened with starvation, flooding, and weather disasters. Rain-fed crop production will fall by half, a quarter of the world's species will go extinct, and arctic ice will completely disappear during the summer. We will see more deadly heat waves, stronger hurricanes, and island nations completely obliterated from the map by rising sea levels.
And the good news is...?
Fortunately, there's still time to save ourselves -- but not very much time. The U.N. says point blank: "immediate action is vital." According to the report, we have just a few more years left to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
A problem of such scale will require governments, industries, and private citizens to work together to address what many believe to be the greatest challenge of our time. As with most solutions, the approach must be varied and come from all angles to really make the kind of quantum difference that is necessary. Here's but one -- albeit one of the most powerful -- way to add to the momentum of a turnaround: eat a plant based diet. Give up eating animals and go vegetarian. Seriously.
A U.N. report from just this past November found that a full 18% of global warming emissions come from raising chickens, turkeys, pigs, and other animals for food. That's about 40% more than all the cars, trucks, airplanes, and all other forms of transport combined (13%). It's also more than all the homes and offices in the world put together (8%).
So, one of the simplest and most elemental (and most delicious) things you can do to decrease your carbon footprint is to choose a veggie burger over a hamburger, "un-chicken" patties (try Garden Protein, the new and much talked about faux chicken/turkey) over actual chicken, or some grilled Portobello mushrooms with marinated tofu (I swear it's really good!). Order the vegetarian option whenever you go out to a restaurant -- and ask everywhere you go that they expand the vegetarian section on their menu, since it's good for owners of restaurants, hotels, airlines, etc. to know that there is consumer interest for tasty plant-based entrees.
I'm all for participating in the myriad things we can do to assist turning back the tide on human-made global warming: writing to a corporation about being environmentally responsible, turning off unnecessary lights and keeping the heat or a.c. on "low", voting for the politicians who will lead us into cleaner living, and driving a smaller more fuel efficient car. But on an ongoing more fundamental level, we can make a huge shift by simply eating differently. Being vegetarian is being green.
Eating a plant-based diet isn't just kind to animals and good for your health (and waistline!), it is also the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.
We can each think creatively about how to use our roles in our families, jobs, and social circles, and join as part of the solution to this serious global threat.
With so much at stake, it's the least we can do. After all, the U.N. says there's still time if we act now. Surely that's something to be thankful for.
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GLOBAL WARMING AND THE WHOLE NOTION OF FLOODS AND ICE CAPS MELTING IS A BIG UN SCAM BEING PROPELLED BY THE LEFT. ALL IT IS FOR IS THE REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH. GORE IS A FRAUD AND HIS INCONVENIENT LIE MOVIE IS LOADED WITH LIES AS HAS BEEN PROVEN. THE JOKE IS ON ALL WHO FALL FOR THIS AS PEOPLE LIKE GORE, EDWARDS AND THE UN GET RICHER AND RICHER AND WE ALL WILL GET POORER AND POORER. ANYONE WHO FALLS FOR THIS IS A BIG, BRAINLESS FOOL!!!
The first human beings ate fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
The flesh of animals and fish were added to the diet as humans learned how to catch, kill, and cook meat. Meat-eating is nothing more than a habit that we've learned.
When you change your diet to vegetarian, you are really going back to the original food of our earliest ancestors. Vegetarian foods provide the purest and healthiest diet for humans, and it does not harm the planet.
Meat is not a necessary part of the human diet. Protein is readily available from many other food sources. A vegetarian or vegan diet can provide all that is needed for human beings. Vegetable proteins are far healthier than meat.
Vegetarianism is a simple yet very effective way to fight global warming. Changing diet is something we can all do immediately, on our own, at no cost, without waiting for leadership from governments.
A vegetarian diet even saves money at the grocery store. Stop buying meat and you will save money. Put the savings into buying organic, chemical-free fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Peace.
I agree with you- yet I feel completely depressed- because there is no way all of the Wendy's, Mcdonald's, Taco Bell's, Kentucky Fried Chicken's,etc.,that exist by the zillions, are going to go vegeterian. I think inside videos of slaughterhouses circulated widely on the internet could be helpful, though.Also, more e.coli scares. And why don't they have vegetarian cooking shows on television...Rachel, Paula, Gina are always cooking meat- and ,of course, they NEVER even mention the "organic" word!
Thanks for the great article.
Although you can dispute the actual numbers, it is common sense to realize that it takes more grains, water, land, and energy resources to produce animal flesh and animal products than it does to produce plants. Up to 1/2 of US water supplies and 1/3 of our energy resources are used for animal agriculture. And using more energy (fossil fuels) releases more global warming emissions.
Animal agriculture is also responsible for the production of large amounts of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases.
Every meal presents an opportunity to make a difference. For those who care about their children and grandchildren and the future of our planet, it shouldn't be too hard to abandon destructive habits and acquired tastes and instead opt for the veggie burger.
I'm going to eat meat, eggs, cheese and whatever the hell else I want. Man caused CO2 is .012 (one twelve thousandth of a percent)of all greehouse gasses. Maybe we should look elsewhere for the problem. It should be pretty easy to relocate an additional foot higher within a hundred years. Reducing the world's population (something only the white man is doing) would be of a greater benefit. Much ado about nothing.
Great article!
With drought conditions in the Southeast (where I live)reaching critical proportions, it’s also time we take a look at how dietary choices affect the water supply. Cornell University scientist David Pimentel has shown that “producing a pound of animal protein requires, on average, about 100 times more water than producing a pound of vegetable protein.” Even more remarkable is the amount of water required to produce milk. The same UN report mentioned in Ms. Freston's article states, “On average 990 litres of water are required to produce one litre of milk.” I knew that cycling tremendous amounts of food and water through animals was incredibly inefficient and that mostly we get back feces and urine in return, but I was truly shocked to learn just how much water is wasted by dairy production.
The official handbook for Live Earth, the global-warming concerts that Al Gore co-organized, says that “refusing meat” is the ”single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint” (emphasis in original). Not consuming animal products is also a powerful way to conserve water. Pass the fruits, veggies, soy milk, juice and beer!
Yes, easing up on red meat is a good thing. It is not the only one as we all know, and I think it is important for people to start where they are most inclined. For you, Kathy, it may be red meat. For me, it is getting a bike and driving less. For another person, it may be insulating their house, or buying a thermostat.
It is also good to keep a sense of perspective and to know what are the three or four main individual contributors to climate change. Here is an easy to remember recap: 1) cars, 2) space heating, 3) electricity and appliances. That's for direct contributions. Another huge source, although indirect, is purchasing of non sustainable goods.
Once you know this, I suggest to just start in any of these four categories, and focus on one thing at a time.
Last, I like to recommend that you do one very simple exercise in conscious living. For one day, document all your actions, and all the things you consume and throw away or recycle.
For more, you may go to my blog
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
'It's All About Green Psychology'
Great article. Global warming is a fact, and so is going veg for the planet. Go vegan for your health, the health of the planet, and for the animals, of course!
Going Veg is not the most green thing you can do. Don't reproduce, now that is green.
Its really amazing how positive an impact one lifestyle change can made. On the one side a person can improve their own health, help to reduce a major source of pollution and greenhouse gases, help to improve the conditions animals face, help increase the world food supply, and even save money (since fruits, vegetables, and grains are cheaper than meat.) On the other side is only habit. Its really a no-brainer.
I have been vegetarian for almost 3 years now and it was not as difficult as I had thought it was going to be. Aside from knowing that that my choices are helping, rather than harming, I have also benefitted from lower grocery bills and a healthier diet.
eat a vegetarian and REALLY reduce it.
There's been a lot of talk about eating locally, but not so much about eating lower on the food chain, which is so much more important.
Obviously, eating a locally grown loaf of bread is ideal, but even a remotely grown loaf of bread beats out locally grown animal products as far as their carbon footprint is concerned. That's because you only eat one loaf of bread at a time, but a cow eats about 16 pounds of grain in order to produce a single pound of edible flesh.
In other words, when you eat beef, it's like you're eating 16 times more than you would be if you ate the grain directly. That's a heckuva lot of loaves of bread!
Great article, Kathy! Eating delicious vegetarian foods instead of artery-clogging meat, eggs, and dairy products is a win-win-win decision. It makes a world of difference for our planet, our health, and of course, animals. I went vegetarian more than 16 years ago, and it is one of the best choices I've ever made. I encourage everyone to give it a try--like Kathy says, it can be as simple as ordering a veggie burger instead of the kind made from cows. Your body, the earth, and animals will thank you!
Yes. Good idea. You will also use less fat. Try exploring Indonesian and Indian cuiusine in addition to Chinese, Tai and other fare. Mushrooms, tofu in its many forms, soy sauce, sambalans (hot sauces), spice up the meal. Try an adventure. Go into your nearest ethnic market and find gado gado sauce (peanut based sauce) and try it over a salad with bean sprouts. Then there are bean crackers, guava crackers, which you fry in a little oil. Crunchy and good. There are quite a number of different ones. Once you get familiar with some of it, you might want to try mixing your own spices. Everyone knows ginger by now. Laos is like ginger, only larger. Try it together. Oh, and you will find very good fried shallots in ethnic asian markets which go very well over just about anything. You might even want to try them in your favorite green bean casserole, and add a little sambal. Sambals come in endless varieties as well, and with additions of soybeans - a protein. Having a cold yet? Sambals will clear up that stuffy nose.
Great job Kathy! I've been vegan for many years. It's so easy and I agree that the vegan food you mentioned is delicious! Keep up the great work. I think people really are listening and will go vegan not only for their health and the health of the environment, but to save billions of animals as well.
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