WELL, MAYBE THERE ARE ULTERIOR MOTIVES TO TURNING VEGETARIAN...

On a lighthearted note... 

9 Reasons why Vegetarians Make Awesome Girlfriends

TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS, PLEASE HOLD YOUR BREATH

Joke.

I sincerely hope it wasn't too late to say the title was a joke...

A lot of us (including me) are clouded by the idea that by recycling every last bit of recyclable material, not driving at all, using alternative energy sources and growing plants in your back garden can do a whole lot in reducing carbon dioxide, thus keeping climate change to a minimum. I mean, every time I scolded my sister for leaving the light on without needing it made me feel like a saint. (Why so serious?) My parents even considered changing to a hybrid car!

Have you changed to a hybrid car?

Did you know?

"You could exchange your “regular” car for a hybrid Toyota Prius and, by doing so, prevent about 1 ton of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year, but according to the University of Chicago, being vegan is more effective in the fight against global warming; a vegan is responsible for the release of approximately 1.5 fewer tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year than is a meat-eater."

Well, we are not entirely wrong in thinking this can help us curb climate change. Although these measures are contributing to the improvement of the lives of impending generations, it is worth looking into the bigger picture and the major driver of the actual problem.

Allow me some time to break down precisely why our world is a bombshell that is about to explode.

What is global warming?

Global warming is caused by the mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). These are the three main causes of climate change. Not enough of us realise that animal agriculture is one of the largest contributor to global warming through the immense carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

How does animal agriculture lead to increases in CO2?

"Producing one calorie from animal protein requires 11 times as much fossil fuel input—releasing 11 times as much carbon dioxide—as does producing a calorie from plant protein. Feeding massive amounts of grain and water to farmed animals and then killing them and processing, transporting, and storing their flesh is extremely energy-intensive"

Below is a break down of the steps in animal agriculture which require high amounts of energy and thus releases a lot of CO2 (Taken from Get Vegucated Documentary):

FUN FACT:

Animal manure releases CO2 as well.

If you're into tables and figures, there is a cohesive break down of CO2 emitted in grams per kilograms of food from its production, according to timeforchange.org.

CO2-Emissions (in g CO2e per kg food):

Food group	Food	CO2-Emissions (in g per kg food)
Meat and sausages	Beef	13'300
	Raw sausages	8'000
	Ham (pork)	4'800
	Poeltry	3'500
	Pork	3'250
Milk- and dairy products	Butter	23'800
	Hard cheese	8'500
	Cream	7'600
	Eggs	1'950
	Quark (curd)	1'950
	Farmer cheese	1'950
	Margarine	1'350
	Yogurt	1'250
	Milk	950
Fruits	Apples	550
	Strawberries	300
Baked goods	Brown bread	750
	White bread	650

We can also break this down by looking at carbon dioxide emissions per calorie:

As we can see, in both instances, the carbon dioxide emissions of foods differ according to its process of production, but it is also very clear that despite different measures; meat and particularly beef has the biggest impact on the environment due to its highest carbon dioxide emissions. 

Thus perhaps we should all think twice about what we consume and the amount we consume, as much as how much energy we use/waste!

P.S. If you live in the US, please don't forget to participate in Food Day on 24th of this month! http://www.foodday.org/about

P.S.S. Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies. Every October 24, thousands of events all around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies.

Happy Meatless Monday! 

Tune in next Monday for a new post on Methane emissions!

MEET THE MEAT CULTURE!

In the developing world, people eat about 30 kilograms of meat a year. But consumers in the industrial world eat more than 80 kilograms per person each year. - World Watch Institute


Why is the livestock sector so important?

• The livestock sector accounts for 40% of agricultural GDP
• It employs 1.3 billion people
• 1/3 of humanity's protein intake is provided by livestock
• Meat consumption contributes to the cause of obesity
• However, it could also rectify undernourishment

It's easy to just follow the crowd. It's easy to blame the society and its norms, whether they're putting pressure on us, or restricting us. 

How did the meat culture start?

When human beings moved out of the equatorial areas where plant foods were unavailable year round, humans began to hunt for their food. This meant that meat consumption was necessary for survival. This was mainly in the periods of severe droughts or in seasons where crops cannot grow.

Eventually, the consumption of meat became almost part of the culture in those countries. As a result, meat consumption has integrated into these people's lives and so humans began to eat it anyway; because it was cultural and had a deeper meaning. (Taken from Get Vegucated Documentary)

 
However, now we can have access to plant food year round due to improved technology to allow imports, why do we continue to eat meat unnecessarily?


 

The fact is, when something is 'trendy', that thing becomes unnecessarily popular and essentially desirable; often without reason.

As our fellow friends, the Economists would say, a trend is a reason for an increase in demand for a product. Consequently leading to an increase in supply for the product, shifting the equilibrium, and thus increasing quantity (and sometimes the price).

Remember our dear burger?

This worldwide consumer trend, (in the Google Trends screenshot in previous post) has contributed to the overall increase in demand for meat. Of course, there are other underlying reasons for higher meat demand over the years too, such as higher incomes and more efficient transportation methods.

As shown below, the world meat production has been increasing at a very high rate;

 

Global meat production increased by 2.6 percent in 2010 to 290.6 million tons, an increase from the 0.8 percent growth rate of 2009. Even with this minimal increase, however, worldwide meat production has tripled since the 1970s. The increase continutes the steady growth of the past decade. Since 2000, global meat production has risen by 20 percent.

But why are humans becoming more and more carnivorous?

 

1) Countries becoming wealthier
 
 The consumption of meat and the level of income are positively correlated. Meat and dairy are replacing staple foods due to higher incomes and wealth.

 
 
World Watch Institute, written in 'Meat Production Continues to Rise',
 

"Experts predict that by 2050 nearly twice as much meat will be produced as today, for a prejected total of more than 465 million tons. For more than a decade, the strongest increases in production have been in the developed world in 1995 more meat and dairy products were produced in developing than in industrial countries for the first time, and this trend has continues ever since. In fact in 2007, at least 60 percent of meat was produced in developing nations."

 
2) Population growth
 
With the population growing exponentially, humans need to find more resources to ensure survival. 
 
 
3) Urbanisation
 

"Urbanisation stimulates improvements in infrastructure, including cold chains, which permit trade in perishable goods."

4) Developing countries

Due to the declining prices in developing countries, the average family is more willing and able to have meat in their diets and thus meat consumption has increased. Furthermore, the idea that meat is a luxury food product is causing the food palette to change from cheaper foods (like vegetables) to meat. 

Just because of natural human behaviour; to have the desire to jump on the bandwagon, and want to be seen as desirable by our peers, meat production has become a growing industry.

In effect, its digging our own graves and the graves of our future.


IF WE'RE NOT DEMANDING IT... THERE IS NO NEED TO PRODUCE IT.

   

Happy Meatless Monday! 

Tune in next Monday for a new post on the effect of animal agriculture on global warming.