eco otaku

For 15 years now, I have never eaten beef, pork, nor lamb. Yes, I still eat fish and chicken so amongst my friends I am still a ‘fake vegetarian’. My initial reason for my change in diet was the during the teenage years, where my strong interests in animals forced me to take this diet position. Years later the diet remains, but the ideas why have now matured to something more than animal rights.

First let me take you to the other day at the office.  After looking through the old magazines that we have in our staff room, to my surprise I found an old Time magazine from April the 9th 2007. The staff room magazines rarely get thrown out as they make a great read and are rarely brought in. So I decided to give it a burl while I enjoyed my coffee break. In this edition of Time, on the front cover there is a picture of a lone Penguin standing on an iceberg, and reads “The Global Warming Survival Guide”. Inside are a number of articles talking about the threats of global warming and what can be done to prevent this disaster.  Most interesting, and easiest to read in my short break is the article “51 things we can do”. It looks a lots of small things that individuals can do to slow the effects of global warming.

Each of the 51 things we can do is delivered in point form. Point 22 reads; Skip the Steak. Its asks;

Which is responsible for more global warming, your BMW or your Big Mac?

Thats right, its the Big Mac, infact according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation, farm animals produce up to 18 percent of the worlds greenhouse emissions, which is more than motor vehicles.

From 1.5 billion cattle, methane produced from the cows digestion is up to 23 times more potent than CO2 in the warming effect that it has on the atmosphere. Accompanying the cow farts into the atmophere is Nitrous oxide produced from the giant turds left behind. Nitrous Oxide is up to 296 times more potent.

The large numbers of livestock, 1.5 billion cattle, 1.7 billion sheep and goats, is set to rise with a higher demand for meat as many countries increase their levels of wealth. Demand for meat is expected to double by 2050.

Im not saying that people shouldnt eat meat. I remember from my early classes at University that biologically that humans can be classed as carnivores. For instance we have a carnivore digestive system, and our human nature of communication and working together are key factors when identifying a carnivore. However, evolution has allowed us to become omnivorous which benefited our survival through the ages. Meat, was once something that people consumed on random occasions, but as society in the west has become richer, people have chosen to consume meat everyday.

Ideally, I think if people ate meat one day less a week, it would have a significant impact on the environment.