 park it. Tuesday, February 20, 2007 something to think on...according to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions as measured in carbon dioxide equivalent.this includes 9 percent of all CO2 emissions, 37 percent of methane, and 65 percent of nitrous oxide. altogether, that's more than the emissions caused by transportation. in short, without all the tech-speak, livestock are a major emitter of greenhouse gases that cause climate change. global warming is caused by cow farts? no, not completely but the fact that you can't do without your burger, steak, roast or oxtails means that the business of 'meat' causes real and significant environmental issues. land-use changes, especially deforestation to expand pastures and to create arable land for feed crops, is a big part. so is the use of energy to produce fertilizers, to run the slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants, and to pump water. peep this, between 1970 and 2002 the annual per capita meat consumption per person grew from about 24 lbs a year to 64 lbs a year...and those numbers were in countries still developing their economies--for the rest of us, holy shit--from an average of 143 lbs per year to nearly 180 lbs. note that the last study was in 2002, safe to say that the number has continued to grow. honestly it doesn't matter where you stand on the whole global warming issue, but what you should consider is the myth we still live under regarding the production of meat. the meat industry would like you to hold on to childhood images of old mcdonald and his farm and the whole e-i-e-i-o happy-go lucky, homespun shit that is just that, shit. factory farms and the agri-chemical companies that are slowly but surely controlling our food supply should scare the hell out of you, seriously. the attitude prevalent within the culture of factory farming regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit. i'm not trying to tell you how to live or eat--but i am saying educate yourself just a little bit about what you stick in your mouth. 80% of the 35 million all beef cattle slaughtered in the US is controlled by 4 major corporations. i'm sorry, but that should concern you. the whole 'god put 'em here for us to eat' argument carries very little weight in the reality of what all of this is truly all about...$. so am i saying stop eating meat? nah, i wouldn't dare take that away from you, but i am saying, try to eat less of it. if you cut down from 2 burgers a week to 1 look what that would mean...both to the potential world's ozone issues and more importantly your health, which i haven't even touched on. changing your diet if far easier than giving up your car or using less electricity and in the end might just have a greater effect...so if you can't park the car, pimp your fork...with something less beefy. 2 HR. Holga. Arista.Edu.Ultra 400. how about them 2007 Photobloggie nominations? what to wear, what to wear. Comment (9) | Permalink |
