Top 10 Modes of Dealing with Climate Change
Who doesn’t love a good “Top 10” list?
Here’s a video that presents the 10 best ways to deal with climate change and other forms of environmental degradation. I’m not sure there are any huge surprises here, but it’s very nicely made, all the way down to the dramatic music that suggests a powerful, driving societal force, aggressively pushing for solutions in an urgent situation.
Each element of the solution is accompanied by numbers, in gigatons of carbon dioxide, that are kept in the ground or removed from the atmosphere as a result of their implementation.
Obviously, some are renewable energy: rooftop solar PV and utility-scale solar farms, as well as the expansion of wind energy. Most of the others are better use of land: more plant-based diets, expansion of tropical rainforests,
Beef is a serious issue. I’ve cut my intake severely in recent years.
Nice going. It’s better for you, for the cow, and for the planet.
Craig,
Everyone is entitled to their own dietary practices, and personal preferences.
However, arguing that not eating beef is better for cows, or the environment is an unjustifiable claim.
Lamb and beef are the main ingredients in pet food for cats and dogs. With over roughly over 30% of the world population owning at least one cat or dog, that’s an awful lot of meat required ! (especially for cat’s who are dedicated carnivorous).
Nor does beef farming need to be environmentally harmful or negative. The US once supported vast herds of Buffalo (60 million) which are 10 times as environmentally destructive as beef cattle.
A diet which includes beef is essential for growing boys and to a lesser extent girls.In the past red meat, beef in particular, received a lot of disinformation, including pseudo-scientific reports about the harmful effects of ‘saturated’ fats.
Contrary to prevailing dogma, long term research has recently established there is no good evidence to support the notion that saturated fat is harmful. Beef from grass-fed cattle is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid, which studies show reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes and immune system disorders.
One of the most nutritious foods, beef has appetite-sating high-quality protein, which has all the essential amino acids needed (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine and more)to build muscle and bone. Beef is a great source of B vitamins (vital for brain function), and the most absorbable form of iron (called haem iron), which builds red blood cells and gives you energy. Its rich store of zinc supports the immune system.
Although as in any industry, beef farming had it’s fair share of bad farm practices, modern farming technology and techniques (especially in land and soil management) has seen a real revolution often unappreciated by those who live in cities. In many countries cattle graze on land that is too steep, hilly or rocky for farming. Cattle aerate and fertilize soil, eat and trample brush, and create pathways which reduces wildfires.
Dietary choices are mostly based on emotion or unscientific “faith’ type information or fads.
The argument for animal rights is an understandable emotion, but misplaced. Killing animals for food is as old as the human race. As a species were were equipped by evolution to be omnivorous, as or prominent Canine incisor teeth evidence. Cattle are bred to die. All animals die. Farmed beef cattle are killed humanly while in nature they often die in terrifyingly cruel circumstances.
Even methane emissions will soon be a thing of the past.
City people often possess very distorted opinions of the world of agriculture, especially cattle raising. I remember when my daughter was still small and some of her little friends from the city came to stay on the farm.
I remember one mother and her two children horrified to discover I had killed a sickly new born calf to feed the working dogs and farm cats. My daughter was amazed at the accusation that I should have bought canned food to avoid killing animals ! The city children couldn’t connect meat, or canned cat food, as being derived from actual animals.
The children were also horrified to discover the large number of rabbits my farm employees kill each week. Despite the best efforts of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus programs, rabbits are still a really destructive pest in Australia.
With only 3 people out of 100 living on farms, (only 20% on beef farms) it’s not surprising so many people nowadays have little appreciation of farming or agricultural practices.
Oh, and as a postscript, kilo for kilo, beef is 20 times more nutritious than seafood, while costing up to 4 times less. Like chicken, beef keeps many lower income families well fed 🙂
In the U.S., zero beef that is consumable by humans is used as pet food. Though about 40% of the live weight of the animal is eaten by dogs and cats, it’s bones, organs, trimmings, cut off meat, connective tissue and the like.
Craig,
Once again your research seems to have let you down. According to the US FDA any pet food sold using the term ‘beef’ or ‘chicken’ must contain at least 25% dry weight beef or chicken flesh. Food advertising “beef chunks” must contain at least 10% beef flesh.
In addition the American Veterinary Medical Association reports 16.2% of dogs and 19.6% of cat owners feed their animals high quality human grade fresh meat. Over 47% report feeding fresh meat to their pets on a regular basis. (not all of that would be beef).
But what does it matter the part of the animal used ? Since the source of the food is derived from cattle, it still means the if the animal wasn’t bred for human consumption, it would still be bred to feed cats and dogs and other carnivores.(although perhaps not as many.
Likewise, mutton, goat, horse, donkey, rabbit, camel and other animals become ingredients in pet food in certain countries.
The idea that eating seafood is more environmentally sustainable than beef is completely indefensible !
In fact, on closer examination, a cattle industry employing ‘best practice’ is probably the most environmentally sustainable of all food ‘industries’.
Easily the most threatened and devastated by human activity is harvesting the oceans.