Climate change and meat consumption/veg*ism

[fiamma]

With all the talk about climate change over the recent days, what with the summit in Copenhagen and so forth, I've found myself growing increasingly frustrated that no mention has been made of the impact of factory farming on global warming, or the benefits veg*ism would have on the environment.

Or have I missed something? :confused:

[Korn]

I don't think you have missed something, Fiamma, but most of the world leaders present at the Copenhagen summit probably have.


The simple reason that it's going to be hard for Obama & co to suggest major changes re. factory farming, is that most of these people like and consume factory produced meat and dairy products regularly. They may want to avoid being called hypocrites, so therefore it's safer to not focus on cutting out commercial meat/egg/dairy production. Factory farming is of course needed for the massive amount of animal products that are being consumed in the countries represented in the summit in Denmark.

That's how politics often work, I guess: Maybe eg. Obama could go veg*n even if he likes meat, but he's probbaly afraid of losing popularity/votes if he would suggest something his voters aren't ready for.

However...

India Offers No-Beef Climate Solution (http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/india-offers-nobeef-climate-solution-20091122-isrd.html)


India's Environment Minister suggests the world adopt vegetarianism if it is to tackle the greenhouse emission problem, writes Matt Wade in Delhi.
AS THE international community struggles to come up with a climate change deal, India's Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, has come up with a solution: don't eat beef.

He challenged the world to follow the example of millions in his country and eschew beef in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Ramesh, a vegetarian, said: ''The single most important measure that can be taken in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to stop eating beef.''
He has strong support in his campaign against beef-eating from R. K. Pachauri, the leading Indian climate change scientist who headed the UN's influential panel on climate change.

''I'm happy that the minister is agreeing with me on this,'' Dr Pachauri said.
''If you look at the beef cycle today, you first clear forests, which increases emissions, then you feed cattle all kinds of food grain, which is energy intensive, and then you kill and refrigerate these animals, and then they are transported long distances. Then you buy it and refrigerate it. If you count all the emissions associated with this entire cycle, it is huge.''

Last year, a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation study found that meat production accounted for about a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Ramesh's comments come days before the Copenhagen summit on climate change, where the positions of India and China will be crucial to any international deal.

[harpy]

Or have I missed something? :confused:

I don't think so, I have seen a bit of discussion in the UK press about the impact of meat eating on climate change, but nothing about its being discussed in the conference itself (and I did see a highly un-vegetarian menu that they ate at some ceremonial meal :mad:).

I suppose they would argue they'd had their work cut out trying to get countries signed up to these new targets but it would have been sensible also to discuss the various ways the targets could be met IMO.

[fiamma]

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein.

[Sarabi]

Unfortunately, the Indian Minister's suggestion has nothing to do with veganism. He appears to be asking people only to not eat beef, not to become vegetarian. I'm sure this will please the meat-eating Hindus. People will eat more chickens and pigs instead and say, "Look how great it is for the environment."

From the sound of that article, beef is the only meat. It sounds like one could be vegetarian and continue eating chickens and turkeys and pigs.