The current issue of Scientific American has a sobering article about the environmental cost of beef.
I'll quote come the key concepts:
- Pound for pound, beef production generates greenhouse gases that contribute more than 13 times as much to global warming as do the gases emitted from producing chicken. For potatoes, the multiplier is 57.
- Beef consumption is rising rapidly, both as population increases and as people eat more meat.
- Producing the annual beef diet of the average American emits as much greenhouse gas as a car driven more than 1,800 miles.
The article also has great graphics of worldwide consumption, our growing appetite for beef and how beef production leads to greenhouse gases (32 percent is from methane emissions of the cows themselves and their wastes).
It's written by Nathan Fiala, a doctoral candidate in economics at UC Irvine, who focuses on the environmental impacts of dietary habits.
Since Jan. 1, I've been logging my beef consumption, and I've found I don't eat as much as I thought. Once a week, max. And that's on the decline.
But cheese? That's another thing. Gulp. I wonder if sheep cheese results in fewer emissions than that made from cows. Any thoughts, anyone?
Yes! I am so glad you wrote about this. This is one of the main reasons why I went vegan in the first place. It was a combination of a whole bunch of factors, but when summed up it was because I wanted to have a mostly positive impact on the world and I feel that no humans or animals should have to suffer just for me to exist. I really wanted to minimize my carbon footprint. While I am vegan, I know that it is not for everyone, so I encourage people to look into more ethical and environmentally sustainable ways of meat-eating. If you must get your 'beef-on,' try to get organic, grassfed beef. That also goes for any animal-derived product, whether it be poultry, dairy, etc.. Bonus, it's also heathier for you and tastes way better.— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.- Or, so I've heard (about the taste).— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.
Comment removed.
Sandy, I don't know if you were being completely rhetorical in your sheep-cheese question, but I would suggest that any change you make to something that's not as readily available everywhere you go will be helpful because you'll have to ask yourself, do I really need this? Or could I replace it with something else this time? And it will keep you conscious of your consumption without necessarily having to log it. Obviously I would ultimately recommend eliminating it entirely, but I'm realistic - any reduction at all helps animals, people, and the planet. Another tack would be to set yourself a time-limited window of three weeks, say, to go entirely without cheese, and see if you feel better or worse at the end of that period. When I decided to give up cheese I imagined how awful my life was going to be without it because I LOOOOVED cheese so very very much. But a month or so into veganism I was shocked to find I had no desire whatsoever to have cheese. Zilch. Weird, huh?— lehmkuv- Comment removed.
about time this was covered. Al Gore didn't cover it. Im vegan and loving it, my impact on the earth is very light. my Health benefits, the animals and the environment.— tulipwalk
6 comments
About Sandy Bauers
Sandy Bauers is the environment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she has worked for more than 20 years as a reporter and editor. She lives in northern Chester County with her husband, two cats, a large vegetable garden and a flock of pet chickens.
GreenSpace - her column about how to reduce your carbon footprint in everyday life - appears every other Monday in Health & Science.
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