| a meaty issue in the climate change debate |
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| 05 August 2009 | ||||||
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Last week, Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein stirred the pot in the climate change debate with a piece titled, ‘The Meat of the Problem’ that highlights the need to pay attention to the food on our plates in order to take climate change seriously.
Examining a variety of research, Klein cites a 2006 UN report that revealed that the livestock industry is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and a University of Chicago report that "estimated that switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading in your gas guzzler for a Prius." Klein acknowledges that, “telling people to give up burgers doesn’t poll well”, however he notes that eating less meat is a healthier, cheaper and more effective alternative to earth-saving attempts such as changing cars, taking public transport and buying energy-efficient appliances. Need some help or inspiration to reduce your consumption of meat? Visit our veg recipe links. Sources Ezra Klein, Gut Check: Here’s the meat of the problem (2009) Washington Post online, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/28/AR2009072800390.html> at 5 August 2009. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (2006) Livestock’s Long Shadow: environmental issues and options, <http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM> at 5 August 2009. Gidon Eshel and Pamela A. Martin (2006) ‘Diet, Energy and Global Warming’, in Earth Interactions, Volume 10 (9), < http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~gidon/papers/nutri/nutriEI.pdf> at 5 August 2009. Did you like this article?  
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