UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

[kpete]

UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says

.........................

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.

As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.

It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: "Animal products cause more damage than producing construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as burning fossil fuels."

more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

[nc4bo]

1. But don't plants need water?

How's the world's water situation these days?

[Brickbat]

2. Less water than meat and milk, of course.

Much less.

[flvegan]

11. "the water that goes into a 1,000 pound steer would float a destroyer."

-Newsweek

[petronius]

13. Well sure, if you're talking about a little old WWII destroyer

But a modern Arleigh Burke class destroyer would need the water from almost two whole steers to float... :)

[flvegan]

14. LOL

:rofl:

[Lucian]

84. There is a lot more water involved in raising cattle then there is in watering plants.

Way more.

Edited to add some links: http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/pdf/arguments4.pdf
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wulv.html

[Mimosa]

3. How about less people?

That's what the UN should be emphasizing.

[Retrograde]

17. Not PC

But I agree: in my lifetime the population of the earth has not quite quadrupled.

One of the best ways to reduce population increases is to educate girls: that's where we should be putting resources. And yes, I'm childless by choice.

[NM_hemilover]

63. jesus christ,...how OLD ARE YOU ?

[petronius]

65. Don't know about Retrograde, but people born in the 1930s will have lived through

a tripling of global population. If you were born in or before the early 1970s you'll have seen it double at least. It's a bit trippy to think about, really...

[defendandprotect]

70. It's like the fable of the grains of rice . . . keeps compounding . . .

[Retrograde]

87. I don't think I'm all that old

Born in the early 50s, population not yet 2 billion. Now it's close to 7 billion. The rate of population increase - the 2nd derivative - has been going up steadily.

[defendandprotect]

69. Free vasectomies is the way to go if you want reliable birth control --

[Matariki]

18. +1

[stuntcat]

21. +100!!

.

[Luminous Animal]

37. The U.N. has a birth control program. The richer countries have cut funding by

half over the past 50 years. The U.N. estimated in 2007, because of lack of funds, 215 million women in developing nations would use birth control if it were available.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6922245.ece

Also, the U.N. emphasizes that climate degradation is a result of mainly western habits in developed nations who have affordable and easy access to birth control.

"The Population Fund acknowledges that reducing population growth in developing countries would have little immediate impact on emissions because their inhabitants have relatively small carbon footprints."

[defendandprotect]

71. Elites need cheap labor . . ..

[Quantess]

52. Definitely!!!

Access to affordable birth control to everyone!

[defendandprotect]

68. You're suggesting the UN should be saying .... "start eating people" --- ????

You know -- eat your enemy -- the old way of doing things . . . !!

:evilgrin:

[moriah]

86. Go Green -- Soylent Green! n/t

[cascadiance]

75. Limit tax deductions for kids to two UNLESS you adopt more...

People should be encouraged as a family unit to reproduce themselves at all levels of the economy, which makes a deduction for two kids appropriate. But more than that is encouraging inflating our population more than it should be.

If someone really does want and like raising a large family and is skilled at doing so with appropriate resources, etc. then let them take additional tax deductions provide they adopt unwanted kids in doing so. That way, we're not encouraging more kids being born, and hopefully encouraging more homes for the ones that are born as well.

[flvegan]

4. Here we go!

:popcorn:

[wtmusic]

5. LOL

That's classic. :thumbsup:

[BrklynLiberal]

7. May I join you if I bring my own popcorn??..

:popcorn:

There should be a square for the infamous canard about Hitler being a vegetarian...

[flvegan]

8. Here:

Plenty for everyone...

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Thanks.

I added a suggestion that one of the squares should include that infamous lie about Hitler being a vegetarian

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. Here's one for you...

[flvegan]

32. I love it!

That's awesome.

[TommyO]

40. I'm an omnivore and I love this!

I'm definitely considering ordering the t-shirt!

[Foo Fighter]

47. Any idea where can I order that T-shirt?

I just can't pass that one up.

[cherokeeprogressive]

53. I cleaned it up a little for you.

Save it as a jpeg, go get some iron-on paper for your inkjet printer, and have at it! It should come out 8.5 x 11

[Foo Fighter]

66. Thanks!

I appreciate it!

[NM_hemilover]

64. Steak Lover for Life...But THAT'S HYSTERICAL !!!!!!!

[defendandprotect]

74. Factory Farm T-shirt . . . ????

[leftstreet]

38. LOL

That's hilarious!

[krispos42]

55. Ha!

:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

73. Couldn't be more accurate . . . we see it all here . . .

as so many DU'ers concerned about the planet run away so they

don't have to think about this!

[flvegan]

80. I damn near had a BINGO by Post #12.

[defendandprotect]

89. Right --

:)

[RC]

6. How about less people. You know, world wide birth control programs.

Almost all of our problems are because of too many people. Think about that.
We are driving most other life forms to extinction. We are fishing out the oceans. Destroying what little is left of our wilderness. We will never really know how much of what has/will die in the gulf because we need that oil to maintain our lifestyle.

All because of too many people. We are such an arrogant species, we think we are deserving. No, we're not. Fantasy and science fiction aside, We are running headlong into destroying the only nest we will ever have, because of too many people.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. but...but...quality of life while you are alive is secondary to the redemption and

rewards humans get after they die....if, of course, they follow the "correct' religion.

[Luminous Animal]

30. There is the U.N. Birth Control Programme.

Unfortunately, the wealthy nations have reduced funding for women in poorer nations thus decreasing access to birth control methods for women who want them.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6922245.ece

"The report rejects the idea of Chinese-style laws to control population but says that a similar outcome could be achieved by promoting contraception and ensuring that women are better educated.

It says that 215 million women, mainly in developing countries, want contraception but have no access to it. Funding from donor countries for the UN’s birth control programme has fallen from $723 million (£431 million) at its peak in 1995 to $338 million in 2007.

The report also says that the longer women remain in education, the fewer babies they have. Women who have never gone to school have an average of 4.5 children. Those who complete one or two years of university have 1.7.

“Dollar for dollar, investments in voluntary family planning and girls’ education would, in the long run, reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least as much as investments in nuclear or wind energy,” the report says.

It reveals that, contrary to received wisdom, rates of unintended pregnancies are higher in rich countries than in poor ones. In Europe, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, an average of 41 per cent of pregnancies are unintended, compared with 35 per cent in developing countries. "

[defendandprotect]

76. Thinking people get it -- the elites turn it off by ignorning the subject . . .

elites need cheap labor --

and for labor to have few options but to accept being serfs.

[madrchsod]

12. if god did`t want us to eat meat he would`t have given us canine teeth

and he would have given us two stomachs....

[shockra]

15. Vampires have canine teeth.

Humans do not.

[RC]

58. Humans do have canine teeth.

Smile and look in a mirror sometime.

[defendandprotect]

77. So how many deer did you jump on this week and eat raw?

[The Straight Story]

16. dumb as hell

Did they get some bad heroin from Afghanistan?

[wingnut40]

19. I love eating deer and pigs

[pipoman]

20. Uh..

no thanks UN..maybe you people should stick to what you're good at?..lying, class warfare, bribery, corruption, blackmail, etc...

[jp11]

22. Make those people eat seaweed and bugs, okay the seaweed is probably going to be toxic but bugs are

good.

Maybe we could start by turning golf courses into farmland.

[stuntcat]

23. the more you care about the next few decades..

and the more you understand (it's all there for the learnin', but people don't really care) what the industry of meat means for the world, then it gets so you can't support it.

Eating less meat for your health or for the animals' welfare is also nice. but the biggest difference it makes is for the environment.

[jtrockville]

24. I'm not quite ready to go full vegan, but I've reduced my meat consumption.

I switched to only grass-fed, organic, free-range, local meat, which is more expensive so I naturally cut back a lot. I do still enjoy meat ~every week, either bison from Gunpowder Farm or chicken from Ayrshire Farm (both available at "My Organic Market"), and occasionally I get to the farm market in Silver Spring where I can get some beef. But I'm done with factory-produced meat.

[Luminous Animal]

28. That's great. How do you eat it?

Is it a slab of meat or do you try to incorporate it as an ingredient in a meal in one dish? When I reduced my meat intake (the FDA recommends only 3-4 oz per day - which is still high but significantly less than what most Americans eat), I substituted roasts, filets, chops, etc. for dishes that I could incorporate a small amount of meat along with the vegetables, beans, pasta, or grains. Like, stir fries, soups & stews, casseroles, paellas, etc.

[Synicus Maximus]

31. 3-4 oz makes a nice snack. But I thought we were talking about

real meals. You know 16 oz of prime ribs or if you ain't hungry 10 oz of rib eye.

[Luminous Animal]

34. Oh those radical vegans in the FDA.

You ought to star in a meat commercial!

[jtrockville]

48. I still make stews and chili, etc... just use more veg, less meat.

I find the real-farm meats have tons more flavor than the factory-farm variety, so even though I use less meat, a stew or chili or soup et. al. is still as tasty. And the up-side: I've been more willing to try experimenting with vegetables I'd never tried before, like celeriac and kabuchi (sp?) squash.

[Quantess]

54. Someday you might want to try Morningstar fake ground beef in your chili

I love it. It's better than real ground beef, IMHO, because there is no gristle.

I'm like you, in that I eat meat, but recognize the value of cutting down on meat consumption.

[jtrockville]

59. I make my own seitan (just as good or better than Morningstar) nt

[Quantess]

61. Now that's impressive!

Here I was, thinking I'm a good cook. :)

[Zix]

51. Yeah, I'm getting the same way...

I still snap over things like bacon but will go the extra mile and pay the extra to get organic.

[crazyjoe]

26. ya, that's gonna happen..

[yawnmaster]

27. They'll have to pry the Bacon from my dead greasy fingers. eom

[Luminous Animal]

29. The way things are going, they will.

[yawnmaster]

62. What's next, synthetic foods only? Will we be forced to purchase only synthetics?...

red, yellow, blue, green will be our choices.
Yes, this is a very slippery slope.

[Mari333]

33. good. knr.

[Karmadillo]

35. Help reduce world hunger, poverty, and the worst impacts of climate change? And all one has to do

is move towards a vegan diet? That seems like a small price to pay for so much good.

[flvegan]

39. And yet...well, you've seen how these go on DU.

Though, I will say that the idea has gotten a better reception on DU over the last year or so. It used to be nothing but "I HAVE CANINES AND THINK I'M A LION SO I SHOULD EAT OTHER ANIMALS. BACON BACON!!" It's gotten better.

[Luminous Animal]

43. Also, putting the onus on poor women in developing countries.

Who have a significantly smaller carbon footprint than any DUer.

[Hempathy]

36. Maybe in another 30-40 years...?

By then I will most likely have sloughed off this mortal coil, and they can do whatever the hell they want.

[Shadow Creature]

41. okay

I think people should eat what they can afford or grow themselves.

I really don't think the UN of all things should be empowered to decide what people eat.

That's just me.

[Luminous Animal]

44. It really annoyed the fuck out of me when the U.S. banned lead.

Power to the lead users! Freeeeeeeedom to have the whitest longest lasting paint!!!!

[Shadow Creature]

46. lol

lol. Hey, I'm fat and I want to stay fat. Leave me alone. heh.

[defendandprotect]

78. UN isn't "deciding" anything for you . . . they're raising consciousness . . .

evidently not entirely successfully!

You get the info -- you get to decide --

save the planet -- or eat meat -- ??

[harkadog]

42. I wonder what the delegates to the UN in New York are having for dinner tonight?

[Luminous Animal]

45. Oh, oh, oh! Can I answer? Can I answer?

[Odin2005]

49. How about less people?

[Zix]

50. I've started. I feel way healthier....

Only fruit and veg during the day, no junk food, no meat. I allow myself meat twice a week...

It's going to take a while...

[Kalun D]

56. It Does Take a While

It took me about 5 years to figure out a diet without meat that worked for me. I recommend a juicer.

[LooseWilly]

57. I remember reading the same findings 20 years ago...

I went vegetarian for several years... no one else joined suit. One day a week without meat is simple. Six days a week without meat isn't that hard either.

The problem is that the US subsidizes the meat products to the point where they're absurdly cheap, and the retailers decide that non-meat meals are "gourmet"/"boutique" so they charge extra more for food that costs less (or at least should cost less).

Here's my question though: as long as people continue to eat cow (burgers, steaks, ribs, etc.)- does eating tongue (lengua)/brains (sesos)/face (cabeza) tacos count against the meat day(s) of the week?... I mean, these are bits that would be otherwise tossed after chopping up a cow for McDonald's, et. al. ... right? So, environmentally speaking, isn't a brain taco "vegetarian"? (I won't even ask about eyeball tacos... since I haven't been able to find those anywhere outside Mexico City.)

I'll assume things like insects (I'm thinking chapulines- grasshoppers, specifically... but all bugs likewise) are even more "vegetarian" as far as environmental concerns go... maybe even more "vegetarian" than something like celery which is mostly water.

[petronius]

60. You'd need a different word than "vegetarian", but your question is food for thought

Obviously shifting toward a plant-based local diet would be the biggest contributor toward lowering one's footprint, but it seems there should be an adjustment factor for eating the 'scrap parts'. In a way, it's the same logic behind recycle/reuse - you may not wish to encourage the production of something, but pulling it out of the trash is OK. I suppose if you knew for a fact that something was going to the dump, the environmentally proper choice would be to eat it in lieu of something else.

On the other hand, providing demand for the scrap parts still gives support to the overall system - if the scraps can't be sold, then the prices of the market cuts go up and demand for them goes down. So, the consumer of the scrap parts still shares responsibility for the whole cow - perhaps even (near-)equal responsibility...

[shockra]

85. Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?

I just ran across a subsidy pyramid recently. Over 73% goes to Meat & Dairy!

http://www.good.is/post/why-does-a-salad-cost-more-than-a-big-mac/

[defendandprotect]

67. Late K&R -- where's this thread been . . . ???

Well, I see where it's been . . . only 18 Recs!!!

Amazing --

Everyone here is allegedly concerned about the planet -- until someone

puts some truth they don't like in front of them.

Here's the saddest truth -- if people here who are allegedly aware and concerned

can't see their futures ebbing away in pollution of the planet, then what would be

the point in having any belief in what the majority here say on any subject?

Saving the planet comes first --

[Ardent15]

72. How about less consumerism, less greed, less predatory capitalism...

And how about holding the multinational corporations who exploit and destroy accountable?

Guess that's asking too much.

[defendandprotect]

79. Let's start with vegetarian and Vegan diets -- might also reduce

violence in America?

[shockra]

81. Mike Tyson

Has the right idea.

[defendandprotect]

88. About what?

[shockra]

90. Becoming more peaceful on a vegan diet.

I saw an article by a vegan who was not too thrilled that he had joined the community, because of his rep. But I was impressed that he had the insight to realize taking in the products of violence promotes violent tendencies. That he is committed to changing from the inside out means more *because* of his history.

[defendandprotect]

91. Hadn't heard that about Tyson -- and he certainly was a violent man --!! ....

Trust it lasts for him cause he was a really dangerous guy --

Others have also made this connection -- and I think it's true.

Now I can see every male here beginning to get worried about giving

up animal eating and becoming effeminate!!

Thanks for the info -- glad to hear about Tyson --

:)



PS: That also got me wondering what effect all of this is having on

the children -- especially those with behavioral problems in schools!!

And what might it have to do with hormones/steroids in foods and the

poor condition of these animals?

[shockra]

94. Here's an article on Iron Mike

With recent pics.

http://www.celebritymound.com/no-more-eating-ears-for-mike-tyson-he-is-now-a-vegan/

I saw a comment on a board last month about how fit Tyson was looking lately, so I couldn't resist mentioning that he'd gone vegan. I didn't get any response!

[Zoeisright]

82. No cheese? No thanks.

[defendandprotect]

92. Well, dairy stuff ain't what it used to be, either . . .!!!

Btw, just saw a commercial today by Perdue - ole Tom, isn't it? --

saying no hormones in his chickens. No hormones and no steroids . . .

Cows should be so lucky!!

Kept constantly pregnant and giving milk --

[shockra]

95. You can still eat cheese...

And be "moving toward an animal-free diet."

You can do Meatless Mondays and still be "moving toward an animal-free diet."

It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

The Hard Rock Cafe is having Meat Free Mondays in honor of Paul McCartney for the rest of the year. I hope it becomes permanent.

http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/news/national/8746/Hard+Rock+Cafe+Launches+Meat+Free+Mondays+In+Support+Of+Paul+McCartneys+Charity+Campaign

[Lucian]

83. I love the suggestion by the UN, but I don't ever see it happening.

[defendandprotect]

93. I'm sure people said the same thing about overturning slavery . . .

this is just another form of it --

and it furthers and enables concepts of violence and exploitation overall --