Silent but deadly - except Kangaroos?

I was recently given the card in the photo from the Vegetarian Society - it highlighted the situation regarding emissions from animals.

As the Vegetarian Society write: "There were approximately 6.5 billion people living on earth in 2005, and as the world’s population continues to grow, our requirement for food will also increase. Worldwide food production requires 30% of the total soil available, 20% of fossil fuel energy and a major part of the fresh water flow. Raising cattle is one of the most damaging components of agriculture...Studies on world food security estimate that an affluent diet containing meat requires up to 3 times as many resources as a vegetarian diet...Global production of meat has risen dramatically from 130 million tonnes in the late 1970s to 230 million tonnes in the year 2000. Meat is now the single largest source of animal protein in all affluent nations and demand for animal flesh is expected to more than double by the year 2050. In order to meet this growing appetite, animals will no doubt be reared more intensively and cheaply with factory farming and aquaculture (fish farming) causing further pollution, water and land usage. If nothing is done, the environmental impact of meat production can only increase. Diet is an important tool in working to achieve environmental sustainability."

The link between livestock and climate change is starting to be understood more clearly by a wider group of people - Caroline Lucas MEP speaking at the Climate Change march last year used her time to spell out concerns. Several comments left on items on this blog have also raised this issue.

It is therefore good to see a draft motion going to the Green party conference in February
more specifically linking our sustainable agriculture policies to the huge climate impact of livestock farming - which according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is revealed to be responsible for about 18 percent of the global warming effect - ie more than the entire world's transport system (13.5%).

Our policies for sustainable agriculture already plan for a transition away from
the production of animal products towards production for predominantly plant-based diets. However the motion specifically notes the substantial contribution of livestock farming to greenhouse gas emissions which makes it evident that to achieve our climate objectives and emissions targets, such farming will need to be drastically and rapidly reduced. It goes onto spell out that a reduction in livestock farming will clearly have implications for land use, agriculture and human diets.

Kangaroo Farts?

The latest edition of the Forest Friends of the Earth had an item noting that flatulent farm animals produce methane that accounts for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, 2nd only to power stations. However bacteria in kangaroos’ stomach linings mean that their farts contain no methane - a greenhouse gas far more damaging than CO2. FoE write: "So why not eat kangaroo meat? This would help cap the marsupial population, which has reached plague proportions in parts of Australia, & connoisseurs say the meat is “good, low in fat, high in protein & kangaroos are the ultimate free-range animal."

Clearly it would only help if it didn't have to be transported and was reducing other meat consumption.....but lets all cut our meat consumption - and for anyone wanting to see veggie food at it's best go to my brothers cafe in Bristol - Cafe Maitreya.