Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown

[editor]

I expect this thread will be littered with the usual daft comparisons and anti-veggie stuff but the research has come up with the same conclusion as before and it's plain and simple: stop eating so much fucking meat.

Huge reductions in meat-eating are essential to avoid dangerous climate change, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of the food system’s impact on the environment. In western countries, beef consumption needs to fall by 90% and be replaced by five times more beans and pulses.

The research also finds that enormous changes to farming are needed to avoid destroying the planet’s ability to feed the 10 billion people expected to be on the planet in a few decades.

Food production already causes great damage to the environment, via greenhouse gases from livestock, deforestation and water shortages from farming, and vast ocean dead zones from agricultural pollution. But without action, its impact will get far worse as the world population rises by 2.3 billion people by 2050 and global income triples, enabling more people to eat meat-rich western diets.

Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown

 

[8ball]

Not disputing the problem, but isn’t there something in the FAQ’s about repeat threads when you could add it to the last one?

 

[Pickman's model]

We need to talk about cotton too

 

[8ball]

We need to talk about cotton too

I think that probably comes under “daft comparisons”.

 

[xenon]

I think that probably comes under “daft comparisons”.

Not really. The amount of water needed to produce cotton is frightening.

I’m not going to give up meat, I am cutting down.

 

[Pickman's model]

I think that probably comes under “daft comparisons”.

Cotton did for the aral sea, takes something like 1500 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans, plus environmental damage from dye production. So no, not a daft comparison

 

[editor]

Not disputing the problem, but isn’t there something in the FAQ’s about repeat threads when you could add it to the last one?

It's a different study and important enough to warrant another thread given that, like it's only the future of the planet were talking about.

 

[xenon]

What about flying. Should we each be allotted a number of flying points a year? If we don’t use them, we can sell them? I am being serious. It will end up with a rich doing the most flying... just like now.

 

[weltweit]

I ate meat tonight and I still can't get it out from between my teeth!

If my eating 50% as much meat as I do now would make a difference I would do it.

 

[High Voltage]

I used to be pretty much omnivorous all the time, equating to 21 meals a week

Now I reckon I'm well over 50% veggie. I've tried one vegan meal but that's a step too far for me at the moment I may readdress at some time in the future

 

[sealion]

A slow down in capitalism/ materialism and the throw away society pushed upon us needs looking at too.

 

[souljacker]

My response to this is 'OK'. I've got no beef with reducing my meat intake (see what I did there?). As long as I don't have to give it up completely. Is fish included in this?

There's a lot of people who will say fuck off though.

 

[Sea Star]

Been introducing vegan meals back into my diet and using oat milk on my breakfast now. Not sure I can manage to love black coffee - but at least I've cut the lattes out now. Other half loves meat so I think it'll be a while before I cut it out entirely but I'm well on my way now.

 

[8ball]

Cotton did for the aral sea, takes something like 1500 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans, plus environmental damage from dye production. So no, not a daft comparison

I was being sarcastic.

 

[8ball]

It's a different study and important enough to warrant another thread given that, like it's only the future of the planet were talking about.

If it confirms the previous study, it seems like it would be worth adding to the other thread. Weight of accumulated data and all that...

 

[agricola]

My response to this is 'OK'. I've got no beef with reducing my meat intake (see what I did there?). As long as I don't have to give it up completely. Is fish included in this?

There's a lot of people who will say fuck off though.

Fish should absolutely be included in this, and probably has to be given what even more overfishing would result in.

 

[8ball]

A slow down in capitalism/ materialism and the throw away society pushed upon us needs looking at too.

Was talking about this and wealth distribution to a mate the other day - he was talking about some research showing that the consumption of the richest 1%, if cut to something closer to the average, would get us two thirds of the way to the necessary cut in emissions all by itself.

Will have to find out what that was...

Edit: he did also mention that meat production is a really big problem

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

About fish, I recently looked at dioxin/pcb/furan levels in various foods. One of the highest was freshwater fish:

Dioxins & Furans: The Most Toxic Chemicals Known to Science

 

[Maggot]

According to this, there are more effective ways of reducing your carbon footprint, such as not going on long haul flights.

 

[8ball]

About fish, I recently looked at dioxin levels in various foods. One of the highest was fish:

Dioxins & Furans: The Most Toxic Chemicals Known to Science

Butter and human milk look a little scary too.

 

[8ball]

According to this, there are more effective ways of reducing your carbon footprint, such as not going on long haul flights.

A source for that would be good. Looks like it is assuming relatively rich high-consumers.

 

[Pickman's model]

Butter and human milk look a little scary too.

You're better off not eating anything

 

[ferrelhadley]

Enormous report on the need for urgent action across the board to cut CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and this is the best this place can come up with.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Enormous report on the need for urgent action across the board to cut CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and this is the best this place can come up with.

You're quite welcome to dip your toe in if you have better ideas.

 

[8ball]

Dioxins & Furans: The Most Toxic Chemicals Known to Science

Makes you wonder why the Russkies
bothered with novichok.

 

[Maggot]

A source for that would be good. Looks like it is assuming relatively rich high-consumers.

It's from Science Mag http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017...tprint-one-government-isn-t-telling-you-about

You're right though, Lots of assumptions, especially about car driving.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Makes you wonder why the Russkies
bothered with novichok.

There's evidence that they have used dioxin for those purposes:

Viktor Yushchenko - Wikipedia

 

[8ball]

There's evidence that they have used dioxin for those purposes:

Viktor Yushchenko - Wikipedia

Oh, sure - not disputing that they’re nasty.

 

[8ball]

Not on the level of the most toxic chemical known, though.

Putin is such a double-plus hardbastard that he gets it injected into his face.

 

[petee]

We need to talk about cotton too

the first cat i ever took care of was named Cotton 2.
i never met her predecessor, Cotton (1).