Visit
https://www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/meat-footprintThis challenge isn’t for the faint-hearted. This site calculates how much water is consumed to produce the meat you eat, and the carbon dioxide equivalency of the emissions produced from that meat. I’ll level with you. It’s pretty disturbing.
If that wasn’t enough, it also lays it out in clear terms, like, “your meat consumption is the CO2 equivalency of x number of cell phone charges, y number of litres of gas”. You get the picture.
After you’ve recovered from your meat footprint analysis, see if you can make some changes to improve your score. See if you can go one week without Beef or Lamb - these are the most carbon intensive meats.
It takes over 15,000 litres of water to raise 1 kg of beef. It produces the equivalent of 85.2 kg of CO2, and needs 326 m2 of land use. For one kilogram! There’s 320 billion kgs of meat consumed annually. It’s mind boggling. Lamb takes 10,400 litres. So, if you can reduce your consumption of these two, you’re having an impact.
If you haven’t watched the documentary Cowspiracy yet then watch it this week. It’s available on Netflix.
If you really want to dive into some data, you can check out the
Climate Change and the American Diet Report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. It has some interesting statistics on why we eat the way we do, what our preconceived notions are, and a ton more statistics in its 44-page findings.
So, can you adopt different habits, that’s the question. Can you eat less red meat? Can you source your meat from places that farm more sustainably? Can you eat more plant-based proteins? Can you try meatless Mondays?
Again we are at the place where we have to reassess whether what we’ve been doing is working for us. Times are a-changin’. Maybe factory farming was sustainable for a number of years, but, we’re coming to the end of its feasibility. We’re going to have to look at new ways of doing things if we’re going to survive. Yeah, I know that’s a bleak statement.
There are so many ways that modern farming can become the hero in the climate change story, by adopting more sustainable farming practices, which not only help the planet, but improve the health of the farm’s soil, which improves yields, requires less chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and, oh, yeah, sequesters massive amounts of carbon at the same time. It’s a myth that sustainable practises aren’t as productive as conventional ones. Watch Kiss the Ground on Netflix, which connects the dots between healthy soil and healthy humans. Even possibly, whether there will be humans in the future. Throughout history, agriculture has evolved to meet the needs of the planet, and the lifeforms on it. When conditions shift, farmers are ready to tackle new challenges as they arise. So here we are, in the biggest challenge of history. The fight for the survival of our planet and our species. What do we do in the face of that? Time will tell.
Yours in Sustainability,
Sherri Jackson & Laurel Hood
52 Weeks of Climate Action was created by Sherri Jackson and Laurel Hood. Sherri is a writer, speaker and musician. She is the candidate of record and communications coordinator for the Simcoe-Grey Greens. Laurel Hood, is a retired secondary teacher, transportation lead for the Collingwood Climate Action Team, and volunteer coordinator for the Simcoe-Grey Greens. Visit our blog or sign up at www.52weeksofclimateaction.com.
No comments:
Post a comment