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Giving up meat to save the earth? Oh, please!

Where did the summer go? Sandwiched between a late spring and what appears to be an early fall, summer flew by without allowing me time to savor its presence. We could certainly use a few more growing degree days in many regions of the Midwest and I certainly would be happy to share, if only I could, the overabundance of rainfall that we’ve received at our place in Mid-Missouri with those whose tap was turned off in early August.

The cooler, wetter weather pattern we have experienced so far this year is not quite the “global warming effect” that had been predicted by some. That might come as a surprise to Dr Rajendra Pachauri, winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. As Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Pachauri is calling on people to cut their carbon footprints by transforming their diets.

At a lecture in London earlier this week, the good doctor claimed that current global animal production is responsible for 18 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emmissions, with that figure set to double by 2050. He suggests we should all give up eating meat one day per week to help save the planet Earth.

Although people are beginning to recognize the importance of cutting back on car and air travel, Pachauri says people do not fully realize the impact of livestock production on climate change. I’m afraid Dr. Pachauri and the group that sponsored her lecture, Compassion in World Farming, do not fully realize the impact of a meatless, dairy product-free world. Meat is a key component in a healthy diet. From its high protein content to its vitamin and iron content, meat has a high nutritional and physiological value in the human diet.

The bottom line, I believe, is that there are people in this world who do not eat meat and do not want you to eat meat, either. Look closely and you will find that there is always an anti-animal agriculture agenda behind the curtains when “think tanks” and doctors and Hollywood celebrities speak out for a move to eat less meat.

Dr. Pachauri’s lecture was sponsored by a 40-year old group called Compassion in World Farming. The group’s ambassador, Joyce D’Silva had this to say about eating meat and dairy products:

“If we continue to consume meat and dairy at the current rate both animals and the planet will suffer. Factory farming is unsustainable and inhumane. The best thing people can do is eat less meat and dairy and eat only higher welfare -organic and free-range.”

I’m quite certain their are many hungry people – children – in this world who could give a rip about the carbon footprint associated with animal agriculture.