Worried about climate change? So why aren't you vegan? How should climate activists communicate the importance of eating less meat? How come more people who are concerned about climate change aren't vegan? And, come to think of it, what took me so long? This week I decided to go vegan. The decision came after many years of being a (sometimes meat-eating) vegetarian, or a (sometimes vegetarian) meat-eater. There are many reasons behind my decision. Then there's the impact of cattle ranching on the Amazon, with vast areas of forest destroyed. In 2014, Professor Tim Benton, at the University of Leeds, told the Guardian: "The biggest intervention people could make towards reducing their carbon footprints would not be to abandon cars, but to eat significantly less red meat." I do try to reduce my carbon footprint. And every now and then, I hand over money to one of the most unpleasant, polluting and environmentally disastrous industries on the planet: the meat industry. What proportion of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the livestock sector?
Meat - the climate opportunity we can seize at every meal The biggest potential for change is among those who can most afford it and are most responsible for the current problem. Cutting down on meat is where the best public health opportunity lies in relation to climate change. Climate change is the greatest challenge to human health, according to the recent Lancet Commission report which calls for action to protect the global population. The report says that tackling climate change could deliver huge public health benefits, largely through phasing out coal, embracing renewable energy, and moving to a low-carbon economy. There is however one crucial issue the report fails to address: meat. The Commission's recommendations are all based on solid evidence about the link between greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and human health. Focusing only on energy policy, however, will not be enough to head off climate change successfully. The atmosphere has no space for all our meat eating Not just about animal welfare Meat and health: a tricky question
Veaux, vaches, cochons : 10 raisons d'en finir avec l'élevage intensif En vacances ou au boulot, vous n’avez pas pu passer à côté de l’une des infos de l’été : la crise de l’élevage. Ou plutôt les crises, bovine, porcine et laitière. Depuis plusieurs semaines, les éleveurs sont en colère, notamment contre des prix trop bas. Parce que ça pollue en émettant des gaz à effet de serre… Selon un rapport de l’Organisation des Nations unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO), l’élevage compte pour 14,5% de nos émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) (7,1 gigatonnes d’équivalent CO2 par an), c’est-à-dire plus que l’ensemble du secteur des transports. … mais aussi à cause de l’impact sur les sols et l’eau Les bâtiments hors-sol produisent des tonnes d’excréments. Les émissions d’ammoniac – gaz irritant pouvant provoquer certaines maladies (asthme, bronchites chroniques) chez les éleveurs et les animaux – sont quant à elles à 95% d’origine agricole, dont 80% proviennent de l’élevage, selon un rapport de l’Institut national de la recherche agronomique (Inra).
Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf