Post by AnimalAvenger on Jul 18, 2009 4:30:17 GMT -5
Got this from a newsletter I'm subscribed to. I'm pretty sure there's a link to the newsletter somewhere.
Do you have doubts about the positive impact of your vegetarian
lifestyle on the environment? Honestly?
Well, im happy to say that you shouldn't ! NEVER EVER DOUBT
YOUR CONTRIBUTION !
An Australian report released in November has revealed that
if meat-eaters ate just one less steak per week, per person,
they'd be doing more for the environment than if they left
their cars at home and walked to work.
The report, written by Adelaide University climate-change
Professor Barry Brook and Geoff Russell of the Aussie activism
group Animal Liberation, compared the greenhouse gas emissions
of cattle and vehicles, finding that beef was almost four times
as damaging to the atmosphere as automobiles. Brook and Russell
titled their report "Meat's Carbon Hoofprint" report, and
examined an average Australian family of four that ate 4
kilograms (8.8 pounds) of beef a week, and who drove an SUV 200
kilometers (124.27 miles) per week.
The researchers calculated that the carbon dioxide emissions
from the car were about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) per week,
while the carbon dioxide associated with the family's meat
consumption was a whopping 200 kilograms (440 pounds) per week.
The figures were calculated using data from the Australian
Greenhouse Office, which estimates that the country's cattle
and sheep produce over three million tons of methane annually,
compared to 43 million tons produced by passenger vehicles –
and that cattle also produce methane, which is even more
damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
The point of the report was to illustrate that while people
think about pollution when driving, they rarely consider the
impact of their eating habits on the environment. In an
interview with Australia's Courier Mail newspaper, Prof. Brook
said that "People think one of their worst emissions is going
to be their vehicle but if you're a heavy red-meat eater it will
almost certainly be their red meat intake," and went on to
explain that while some meats were less "greenhouse
intensive" than sheep and cattle, the impact on the
environment is still considerable.
Summing up the dilemma, physicist Isa Daudota recently wrote in
Pakistan's Daily Times that "Meat-eating is an unsustainable
luxury. Far better then that in this season of grace and
magnanimity we work towards a transformation of our diet.
Sustainable eating habits require switching largely to
non-animal foods, which would make the national diet affordable
and healthy."
Continuing, Daudota wrote, "Meat-eating is a luxury that is
clearly not sustainable. Far better then that in this season of
grace and magnanimity we work towards a transformation of our
diet. Sustainable eating habits require switching largely to
non-animal foods, which would make the national diet affordable
and healthy. This will give all Pakistanis a balanced diet
throughout the year."
The more we learn about the impact of eating animal food on the
environment, the more we discover that it's as environmentally
disastrous as it is unethical. So have no doubts about the good
your vegetarian lifestyle does – living more gently on the
earth is better for everyone.
God bless,
Rudy
Hadisentosa
Bandarlampung
Lampung 35228
Indonesia
Do you have doubts about the positive impact of your vegetarian
lifestyle on the environment? Honestly?
Well, im happy to say that you shouldn't ! NEVER EVER DOUBT
YOUR CONTRIBUTION !
An Australian report released in November has revealed that
if meat-eaters ate just one less steak per week, per person,
they'd be doing more for the environment than if they left
their cars at home and walked to work.
The report, written by Adelaide University climate-change
Professor Barry Brook and Geoff Russell of the Aussie activism
group Animal Liberation, compared the greenhouse gas emissions
of cattle and vehicles, finding that beef was almost four times
as damaging to the atmosphere as automobiles. Brook and Russell
titled their report "Meat's Carbon Hoofprint" report, and
examined an average Australian family of four that ate 4
kilograms (8.8 pounds) of beef a week, and who drove an SUV 200
kilometers (124.27 miles) per week.
The researchers calculated that the carbon dioxide emissions
from the car were about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) per week,
while the carbon dioxide associated with the family's meat
consumption was a whopping 200 kilograms (440 pounds) per week.
The figures were calculated using data from the Australian
Greenhouse Office, which estimates that the country's cattle
and sheep produce over three million tons of methane annually,
compared to 43 million tons produced by passenger vehicles –
and that cattle also produce methane, which is even more
damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
The point of the report was to illustrate that while people
think about pollution when driving, they rarely consider the
impact of their eating habits on the environment. In an
interview with Australia's Courier Mail newspaper, Prof. Brook
said that "People think one of their worst emissions is going
to be their vehicle but if you're a heavy red-meat eater it will
almost certainly be their red meat intake," and went on to
explain that while some meats were less "greenhouse
intensive" than sheep and cattle, the impact on the
environment is still considerable.
Summing up the dilemma, physicist Isa Daudota recently wrote in
Pakistan's Daily Times that "Meat-eating is an unsustainable
luxury. Far better then that in this season of grace and
magnanimity we work towards a transformation of our diet.
Sustainable eating habits require switching largely to
non-animal foods, which would make the national diet affordable
and healthy."
Continuing, Daudota wrote, "Meat-eating is a luxury that is
clearly not sustainable. Far better then that in this season of
grace and magnanimity we work towards a transformation of our
diet. Sustainable eating habits require switching largely to
non-animal foods, which would make the national diet affordable
and healthy. This will give all Pakistanis a balanced diet
throughout the year."
The more we learn about the impact of eating animal food on the
environment, the more we discover that it's as environmentally
disastrous as it is unethical. So have no doubts about the good
your vegetarian lifestyle does – living more gently on the
earth is better for everyone.
God bless,
Rudy
Hadisentosa
Bandarlampung
Lampung 35228
Indonesia