Eating meat could become as socially unacceptable as drink-driving because of the impact it has on global warming, according to a senior authority on climate change.
Lord Stern of Brentford, former adviser to the government on the economics of climate change, said people will have to consider turning vegetarian to help reduce global carbon emissions.
"Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world's resources. A vegetarian diet is better," Stern said.
Farmed ruminant animals, including cattle and sheep, are thought to be responsible for up to a quarter of "man-made" methane emissions worldwide.
Stern, whose 2006 Stern Review warned that countries needed to spend 1% of their GDP to stop greenhouse gases rising to dangerous levels, said a successful deal at the climate change conference in Copenhagen in December would massively increase the cost of producing meat.
People's concerns about climate change would lead to meat eating becoming unacceptable, he predicted.
"I think it's important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating," he told the Times. "I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student. People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food."
Stern, a former chief economist at the World Bank and now IG Patel Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, also warned that helping developing countries to cope with the adverse effects of global warming would cost British taxpayers about £3bn a year by 2015. ...
via People may have to go vegetarian to save planet says Lord Stern | Environment | The Guardian.
Monday, October 26, 2009
People may have to go vegetarian to save planet says Lord
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2 comments:
No, just no. That's taking it too far. That is taking away human right. By the way, just out of curiosity, are you vegetarian?
I dated a vegan for 3.5 years. (For readers who don't know, a vegan is a super strict vegetarian). I used to joke that a vegan is a person who hates plants with such passion that she kills and eats them even when perfectly good animals are available for food.
But seriously, factory farming sucks for the animals and it is very unhealthy for us. Vegan is a good way to go for your health (with some supplements) and for the planet.
Watching people react to the vegan choice was very interesting. Some people get completely baffled by the thought of not eating meat, and they can't even imagine what you can eat if you also cut out eggs and cheese! Even on the road we were able to find Boca burgers and things, although it was more difficult in some states. Mexican food (minus cheese and meat) and, Italian food (minus cheese and meat) are vegan options, depending on how they are prepared/cooked.
I've always liked eggs and cheese and butter. These days I eat chicken and some fish and shellfish too, but no red meat. I have whey and/or soy protein in a shake in the morning and extra protein bars when I'm working out.
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