A Global Dietary Imperative to Global Warming

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A Global Dietary Imperative to Global Warming

• Saurabh F. Dalal
• Vegetarian Society of DC
• vsdc_at_vsdc.org
• 202-362-VEGY

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Outline

• Main Idea
• Background on Global Warming
• Animal Agriculture and Its Impacts
• Examples of Inefficiency
• Conclusion
• Resources

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Main Idea

• Human activities have changed the composition of
  the atmosphere and therefore are influencing the
  Earth's climate, particularly in global warming
• The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and
  oil, and deforestation have caused the
  concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases
  to increase significantly in our atmosphere
• Although rarely addressed, it is increasingly
  clear that eliminating the production and
  consumption of meat and other animal products on
  a global scale is vital in reducing global
  warming and other grave environmental threats,
  and so doing reduces the extraordinary waste of
  water, land, fuel and other precious resources
• Also benefits people's physical and spiritual
  health
• Prevents the massive mistreatment of non-human
  farmed animals as well as our effects on others

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Global Warming Background

• Definition an increase in the average
  temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's
  surface and in the troposphere, which can
  contribute to changes in global climate patterns
• Refers even more to the decades of this century
  and the projected continuation of this increase
• Can occur from a variety of causes, both natural
  and anthropogenic (human-induced)
• Scientists are certain that human activities are
  changing the composition of the atmosphere and
  responsible for most of the warming in recent
  decades (1)
• Global average air temperature near the Earth's
  surface rose 0.74 0.18 Celsius (1.3
  0.32 Fahrenheit) in the last century (2)

1 EPA 2 IPCC
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Greenhouse Effect
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Greenhouse Gases Temperatures

• Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the
  atmosphere
• Greenhouse gases (compounds) include water vapor
  (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4),
  nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
  etc, ozone (O3)
• Necessary for life as we know it but increased
  concentrations result in increased temperatures
  on the Earth
• Warmest global average temperatures on record
  have all occurred within the past 15 years
  warmest two years being 1998 and 2005
• If the concentration of greenhouse gases
  continues to increase, then by 2100, climate
  models referenced by the IPCC predict that
  global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1
  to 6.4 C (2.0 to 11.5 F) above 1990 levels

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Global Temperatures
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IPCC

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• Body established in 1988 and comprised of two
  United Nations organizations
• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Evaluates the risk of climate change brought on
  by humans, based mainly on peer reviewed and
  published scientific/technical literature
• Reports are widely cited and the panel is
  regarded as authoritative

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Other Resulting Changes

• An increase in global temperatures can in turn
  cause other changes
• rising sea level, flooding, submerged islands
• changes in the amount/pattern of precipitation
• increases in the frequency/intensity of extreme
  weather events record heat, wildfires, droughts,
  shrinking lakes
• glacier retreat, permafrost melt, reduced summer
  streamflows
• acidification of the oceans
• destruction of wildlife habitats
• endangered species extinctions
• changes in agricultural yields
• increases in the ranges of disease vectors
• environmental refugees

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General Mitigation Categories

• Five categories of actions that can be taken to
  mitigate global warming
• Reduction of energy use (per person)
• Shifting from carbon-based fossil fuels to
  alternative energy sources
• Carbon capture and storage
• Geo-engineering including carbon sequestration
• Population / birth control, to lessen demand for
  resources such as energy and land clearing

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General Mitigation Strategies

• Mitigation Strategies for Global Warming
• energy conservation
• renewable energy such as bio-mass/bio-diesel,
  solar power, tidal and ocean energy, geothermal
  power, and wind power
• electric or hybrid automobiles fuel cells
• development of new technologies
• carbon offsets carbon credits carbon taxes
  enhancing natural carbon dioxide sinks carbon
  capture and storage
• population control
• Governments, corporations, schools, religious
  institutions, and other organizations to get
  actively involved as well as individual-lifestyle
  and political action

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US Climate Policy

• US government policy has three components
• Slowing the growth of emissions
• Strengthening science, technology and
  institutions
• Enhancing international cooperation
• Implementation uses voluntary and incentive-based
  programs to reduce emissions
• In 2002, the US announced a strategy to reduce
  the greenhouse gas intensity of the American
  economy by 18 percent over the 10-year period
  from 2002 to 2012

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Specific Mitigation StrategyPlant-based Diets

• The important set of connections between global
  warming and animal agriculture along with the
  increasingly globalized Standard American Diet
  (SAD) have generally been overlooked or
  marginalized
• In addition to technology developments and the
  like, it is necessary to change the consciousness
  of people and subsequently their personal
  behaviors on a large scale, a major component of
  which is a shift to plant-based diets
• Dispel the myth that technology alone will solve
  each and every problem
• Technology changes often have negative side
  effects whereas positive dietary shifts are
  accompanied by a number of other important
  benefits, e.g. improved personal and public
  health, animal concerns

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Role of Animal Agriculture

• Overuse of the land by livestock, leads to
  overuse of fuel and water, also degrades the land
  and pollutes the water around it
• Contributes to additional environmental and
  health problems
• Animal-based diets use energy very inefficiently
• In total, livestock industry uses (and abuses)
  roughly 30 of the planet's surface
• In direct competition with other activities for
  scarce land, water, and other natural resources
• Conflicts arise over resources

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Role of Animal Agriculture

• United Nations - Food and Agriculture
  Organization (2006 Report)
• States that animal-based agriculture causes
  approximately 18 of greenhouse gas emissions
• Amount greater than that caused by all forms of
  transportation on the planet combined so cars
  are still problematic but cows are contributing
  more to global warming
• Therefore, what we eat is actually more important
  than what we drive

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Emissions from Animal Agriculture

• 9 of all CO2 emissions
• 37 of methane (CH4) emissions
• CH4 23 times global warming potential of CO2
• 65 of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions
• N2O 296 times global warming potential of CO2
• Researchers at the University of Chicago found
  that the average American diet, including all
  food processing steps, produces an extra 1.5 tons
  of CO2-equivalent (annually), compared to a
  meat-free diet

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Rising Demand of Animal Agriculture

• Demand in the developing world is projected to
  double meat and dairy production globally by 2050
  (UN FAO)
• Report considers only land mammals, and does not
  address egg, poultry, and seafood consumption
• Hence, the impact of animal agriculture is far
  greater than the FAO report indicates, and will
  worsen still more if present dietary trends
  continue
• 55 billion animals are reared worldwide to be
  killed and eaten annually
• 70 percent of the grain produced in the United
  States (and over a third produced worldwide) is
  inefficiently diverted to feed farmed animals
  (despite great hunger in many parts of the world)
• With fresh-water sources dwindling rapidly, we
  are using up to 14 times as much water than that
  required for completely plant-based diets

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Despoiling the Environment

• Animal Agriculture is a vastly inefficient use of
  resources
• Food IN to Food OUT
• Water
• Land
• Energy
• Animal Agriculture causes environmental
  devastation as a consequence
• Land, water, air
• Manure / urine
• Rainforest destruction

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• TELLING EXAMPLE
• How many pounds of Grain are used to make 1 pound
  of beef ?

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• How many pounds of Grain are used to make 1 pound
  of beef ?
• 12-16 pounds
• 8 loaves of bread
• 24 plates of spaghetti

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• TELLING EXAMPLE
• How many gallons of Water are used to make 1
  pound of beef ?

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• How many gallons of Water are used to make 1
  pound of beef ?
• 2500-5000 gallons
• Ave persons shower for 6 months
• Gal/pound tomatoes 25, wheat 25, apples 50

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• TELLING EXAMPLE
• How many calories of fossil fuel are spent to
  produce 1 calorie of protein from beef ?

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Enormous Resource Inefficiency

• How many calories of fossil fuel are spent to
  produce 1 calorie of protein from beef ?
• 78 calories
• 2 calories for soybeans
• energy needed to produce a pound of grain-fed
  beef is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline

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Ecological Destruction

• Pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics into
  ground, water, airand food
• Mounds of manure urine at feedlots dairies
  and animal flatulence
• Pollution, and added pollution, to the air,
  waterways, and land from all the extra needs and
  inefficiency
• Rainforests destroyed for land to graze cattle,
  especially in third world countries beef is
  exported to developed countries
• So even less ability for plant kingdom to absorb
  CO2

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Ecological Destruction

• TELLING EXAMPLE
• Ave dairy cow produces how many pounds of wet
  manure per day ?

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Ecological Destruction

• Ave dairy cow produces how many pounds of wet
  manure per day ?
• 120 pounds (per day!)
• Humans produce only several pounds per day

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A Global Dietary Imperative

• The human appetite for animal flesh is a driving
  force behind virtually every major category of
  environmental damage now threatening the human
  future - deforestation, erosion, fresh water
  scarcity, air and water pollution, climate
  change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the
  destabilization of communities, and the spread of
  disease. Worldwatch Institute
• eating meat is like driving a huge SUV... a
  vegetarian diet is like driving a hybrid car,
  and... a vegan diet is like riding a bicycle
  (unk)

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Conclusion

• An all-plant-based diet offers powerful
  solutions
• Efficiency of global and local resources
• Reducing greenhouse gases
• Minimizing land / water / air pollution
• Overall planetary health / sustainability
• Lesser dependence on foreign oil, foreign
  economic markets, and related factors
• Enormous cost savings for the near- and long-term
• Alleviating global hunger
• Reducing effects on non-human animals
• Personal and public health / well-being
  Fostering peace, sharing, and responsibility
  Minimization of harm, respect for all life
  Reconnecting with the spiritual and religious
  tenets
• GO VEGAN !

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Helpful Resources

• Vegetarian Society of DC
• www.vsdc.org (vsdc_at_vsdc.org) 202-362-VEGY
• Vegetarian Union of North America / International
  Vegetarian Union
• www.ivu.org (vuna_at_ivu.org)
• Councilors of VUNA, esp Prof. Richard Schwartz
• FARM (Farm Animal Reform Movement)
• www.farmusa.org info_at_farmusa.org
• EarthSave International
• www.earthsave.org information_at_earthsave.org
• Worldwatch Institute
• www.worldwatch.org worldwatch_at_worldwatch.org

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Helpful Resources

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• http//www.ipcc.ch/
• UN FAO
• http//www.fao.org
• US EPA
• http//www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html