Vegetarians Against Global Warming?

I grew up on the catechism that eating vegetarian is better for the planet, and hear the sermons regularly in California. By middle age my ears have closed down - you have never before seen a lecture on vegetarianism here at Dove's Eye View. While I eat many meat-free meals, I'd never call myself a vegetarian. (We had roast lamb for dinner last night, although I ended up not eating the meat, just the potatoes and gravy).

Lately the message has morphed into an extremely reasonable argument - that livestock production for meat consumption contributes significantly to global warming: ABC News: Meat-Eaters Aiding Global Warming?.

Earthsave International is devoted to this idea, and publishes a long essay about it with additional PDF report.

While I have gone vegetarian in the past, I doubt I would again. But I do try to eat more as my Mediterranean peasant grandparents did, with meat and chicken in small proportions, and many meatless meals. Whole grains and plenty of produce fill out the diet plan.

Fast food hamburgers decimate the rain forest in South America - all that beef is raised on burned jungle. Methane from cattle is a significant greenhouse gas, and its harmful effects dissipate in a decade, unlike carbon emissions which will go on heating us for centuries. So reducing our consumption of red meat (ESPECIALLY fast food) will make a positive effect on climate change very quickly.

To my Lebanese and other Arab world readers - prevent climate change, improve your health, support your local economy and save money: eat locally produced food and eat it in the tradition of your ancestors. More ful mudammas, hummus and burghul! And you don't have to give up meat! Just eat it once or twice a week, as your grandparents would have.

See sidebar at left for recipes, including lentil soup and lentil-rice stew (mjaddara).

Comments

[Tim]

Thanks for this post. See here also:
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3956

There are also many other reasons to give up meat altogether:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/