Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and the environmental group Greenpeace, however, are working to
address how to stop GHGs resulting from deforestation. In a collab-
orative effort with McDonald's, Cargill—which had been supplying
the fast-food chain with Brazilian soy for chicken feed in factory
farms—and Greenpeace persuaded soy traders to enter a two-year
moratorium on purchases of soy from newly deforested regions.
While rankings, carbon calculators, moratoria, and laws are use-
ful tools, ultimately we all must address climate change and those
impacting industries with our own individual choices. We have
the power to decide what kind of agriculture and what kind of cli-
mate we want. When it comes to our food, reducing or eliminating
animal products is one of the most effective ways individuals can
fight climate change. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University
demonstrated that nearly 60 percent of all emissions in the food
system were from animal products. “The answer is not,” according
to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “milk in place of meat,
but a more plant-based diet overall.” And it's not only environmen-
talists espousing the benefits of a less animal product-intensive
diet.
Time
magazine concluded that, “given the amount of energy
consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a 16-oz. [450 g]
T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate.”
Fighting climate change by eating fewer meat, egg, and dairy
products can also have benefits for human health. An article pub-
lished by
The Lancet
in September 2007 advocates a reduction in
meat consumption to 90 grams (3.18 ounces) per person per day
(roughly the equivalent of a single beef hamburger patty), both to
reduce GHG emissions and to promote better human health.
Ten or fifteen years ago, people who installed compact fluo-
rescent light bulbs or biked to work were considered radical en-
vironmentalists, but now those habits are widely touted for their
environmental benefits. Now, day by day, growing numbers of
us are recognizing that fighting climate change and reducing en-
