Posted on 09/24/2017 12:31:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A recent survey of 50 Nobel Prize winners found the smartest among us believe that two of the biggest threats to humanity are climate change and President Trump — and we can’t rely on the latter to help us resolve the former. The President’s swift exit from the Paris accord, rollback of key components of the Clean Power Plan and persistent denial of climate change itself (not to mention his own hot temper) make this clear.
People of conscience must tackle this issue ourselves, and one of the single best steps we can take to help fight climate change is to stop eating animals.
Going fully vegan would cut the average American’s carbon footprint in half, but simply cutting back on meat, eggs, and dairy and eating more fruits, veggies, grains, and nuts can make a significant dent. In fact, if every person in the United States ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, that would be like taking every car in the state of New York off the road — or switching every single car in the country from a sedan to a hybrid.
It may seem hard to believe that small actions like swapping chicken for chickpeas could add up to such an enormous impact. But experts agree that without individual action, we’ll never solve climate change or other environmental woes. The United Nations states that “a substantial reduction of (environmental) impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change away from animal products.”
And since we Americans are among the highest consumers of meat, that change should start with us.
The Environmental Protection Agency admits that the U.S. livestock sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide pollution and the single largest emitter of methane and nitrous oxide, potent greenhouse gases. Cow flatulence is often blamed, but that’s just the tip of the melting iceberg; producing feed grains, operating factory farms, and storing and shipping meat and other animal products are all carbon-intensive practices.
That’s why producing just one calorie of meat protein for human consumption requires 28 calories of fossil-fuel energy. Meanwhile it takes just 3.3 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce one calorie of grain protein.
If you’re ready to cut your carbon footprint but are concerned about getting your protein from grain and other plant-based sources, don’t worry. World-class athletes, our country’s top doctors, and a long list of celebrities who never seem to age all credit plant-based diets for their health and longevity.
Countless studies indicate that meat-free or low-meat diets are not just the best for our environment; they’re also the key to good health.
Trump clearly hasn’t figured this out. His heated tirades and sizzling steaks (yes, he once tried selling steaks at Sharper Image) perhaps represent the greatest threats to our already-too-hot planet.
But every day we can use the power of our forks to literally put our outrage where our mouth is and resist Trump’s anti-environment agenda. In a world where resistance can sometimes feel futile, that daily reminder — that we always have a choice — is more than a little empowering.
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Runkle is the founder and president of Mercy For Animals, an international animal protection organization.
Good. More for us deplorables.
My wife watches tons of those cooking shows. The elites want us to eat insects. Really.
If we weren’t supposed to eat meat, it should have not been made so darn tasty.
Does it matter when the cow farts or when I do after eating said cow?
Now I am all hungry for pork sausage.
Not only p!sses of the environmentalista, it p!sses off the Moslims too.
I do not see a downside.
Gonna throw two big T-bones on the grill tonight, Nathan, you tofu-eating, sissy-boy.
"I'm Nathan Runkle, I'm a Vegan, and I support Mercy of Animals!"
Actually, a simpler diet would probably do us all some good. I think we need some animal protein, but not as much as we consume. Indeed, we probably don’t need as much of anything as we consume. We are a pretty fat country.
Sorry:
“Mercy For Animals”
Want to combat fake news and lying journalists?
Don’t watch their news or read their papers.. and eat more meat. It tastes great and has no effect on the weather.
That is a big nope.
Want to see the consequences of not eating meat? Look at the emaciated people in Asia who lack meat as a source of protein and B-vitamins.
"....yeah,eat more *piffff* hard boiled eggs"
Blow it out your...(author not you 2nd Div Vet).
I gave up eating beef and pork a few months back. Not for global warming scam reasons. I don’t need these people nor anyone else telling me how to eat. I’ll eat what I frickin’ like.
Like the North Koreans?
It’s all about control for these commies.
The issue here is freedom of choice vs. coercive utopians like this vegan creep.
Most vegans, had they the power to change our lives, would turn Kim Jong Un green with envy.
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Pigs turn excrement into bacon!
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