October 15, 2009, it's time for Blog Action Day 09.
Climate change is on the menu.
Intense cattle grazing hurts the land and all the methane produced by the bovine and pork population is a big contributor to greenhouse gases.
The New Scientist in Eating less meat could cut climate costs (February 09) reports that "cutting back on beefburgers and bacon could wipe $20 trillion off the cost of fighting climate change".
Why? Because, the New Scientist notes that "to produce a kilogram of beef (2.2 pounds), farmers also have to feed a
cow 15 kg of grain and 30 kg of forage. Grain requires fertiliser,
which is energy intensive to produce."
To get people on board it is suggested that if we "shifted to a low-meat diet – defined as 70 grams of beef and 325 grams
of chicken and eggs per week – around 15 million square kilometres of
farmland would be freed up".
One way to change habits the article suggest would be to mention the environmental cost of meat on the price label.
A small step in that direction would be to adopt Meatless Monday, kicking the habit one a week.
A 2008 study for Greenpeace Australia which I mentioned in Eating Kangaroo reduces your Carbon Footprint…Skippy Anyone? offered meat alternatives to beef such as kangaroo, ostrich and venison which graze less, produce less gas and on the healthy eating side tend to offer leaner cuts.
Laying off the beef for Blog Action Day 09.