Going Vegie

[godfather]

Do You Think Becoming Vegie Is Green?

[Simon]

Yes. The meat industry is a dirty buisness.

But you dont have to go vegetarian the whole way or "too fast". Stop eating beef and meat from cows. Buy and eat chicken, pig etc instead.

[mountainhiker]

Yes. The meat industry is a dirty buisness.

But you dont have to go vegetarian the whole way or "too fast". Stop eating beef and meat from cows. Buy and eat chicken, pig etc instead.

Have to agree, not sure that 100% vegetarian is a mark of being "green", or will make a difference in the long run. Maybe a major shift to organically raised cattle should be considered....

[Simon]

Have to agree, not sure that 100% vegetarian is a mark of being "green", or will make a difference in the long run. Maybe a major shift to organically raised cattle should be considered....

Yes I agree. And we also don't know, yet, the exact amount of Methane or CO2 cows for example actually produce during their lifetime.

[mountainhiker]

Yes I agree. And we also don't know, yet, the exact amount of Methane or CO2 cows for example actually produce during their lifetime.

Yikes, have to agree on that one, seems like every estimate is different.

[online.education]

Do You Think Becoming Vegie Is Green?

Over the long term, no. I don't disagree that today's meat industry runs a dirty business. However, creating vast farmland is more damaging to the environment.

Another thing to mention. Agriculture is becoming (or I should say 'has become') a dirty business as well.

In 2003, countries that grew 99 percent of the global transgenic crops were the United States (63 percent), Argentina (21 percent), Canada (6 percent), Brazil (4 percent), China (4 percent), and South Africa (1 percent) ...

...

In the US, by 2006 89% of the planted area of soybeans, 83 percent of cotton, and 61 percent maize was genetically modified varieties.

Agriculture industry has contaminated the environment and it continued to do so. The damage this industry has done is probably more far reaching than the damage done by the meat industry.

[Simon]

Over the long term, no. I don't disagree that today's meat industry runs a dirty business. However, creating vast farmland is more damaging to the environment.

Another thing to mention. Agriculture is becoming (or I should say 'has become') a dirty business as well.

Agriculture industry has contaminated the environment and it continued to do so. The damage this industry has done is probably more far reaching than the damage done by the meat industry.

Well, technology and local farming (small scale in your backyard etc) can fix the land problems. Organic farming can fix the toxic problem. But you can't stack animals any tighter than you already do without making them suffer even more.

This quote is from an articles called "Will we eat laboratory-grown meat in the future?".

We all know that the meat industry is a dangerous threat to our climate and overall a questionable industry. The cattle release CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases. They also use a lot of land areas, around 25% of the earths total land area. And about one third of all farm areas are used to grow food for the cattle.

According to studies the meat industry is responsible for about one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions, in the world. That means they currently pollutes more than the whole transport sector. And by year 2050 the meat production is expected to increase with 50%.

[online.education]

Well, technology and local farming (small scale in your backyard etc) can fix the land problems. Organic farming can fix the toxic problem.

There is no doubt that the current production method has a very serious problem, and agriculture needs to be de-centralized like it used to. But unless you fundamentally restructure mega cities (like Tokyo, Mexico City, Mumbai, Sáo Paulo and New York City), you cannot ask every household to have a small farmland to grow vegetables. There needs to be sizable farmlands all over the world.

But you can't stack animals any tighter than you already do without making them suffer even more.

First, I am not saying that it's perfectly ok to kill animals, but this is not exactly about moral or ethics. I am not for factory meat production, but it's because animals can easily get sick; this is not good for them, nor is it good for humans. Also there are already enough food in the world. There is no need to produce more; in fact, it's more beneficial to convert certain production methods into more organic and environment-friendly methods even if the total amount of food produced decreases. Having said that, I'm not too crazy about this let's-become-vegetarians craze. I also feel that this has done more harm than good unfortunately; the mass production of (GM) soy is a great example.

[Simon]

Yikes, have to agree on that one, seems like every estimate is different.

New numbers from scientists at KTH in Stockholm (Sweden):

• A cow releases 100 kilos of methan every year. Thats the same amount a car that travels 1000 miles pollutes during one year.
  
• Every kilo of meat produces 14 kilos of greenhouse gas emissions.
  

Lucky me I dont drive a car.. ;)

[online.education]

New numbers from scientists at KTH in Stockholm (Sweden):

• A cow releases 100 kilos of methan every year. Thats the same amount a car that travels 1000 miles pollutes during one year.
  
• Every kilo of meat produces 14 kilos of greenhouse gas emissions.
  

Lucky me I dont drive a car..

So, eating chicken instead is ok? How about eating fish ...?

[mountainhiker]

So, eating chicken instead is ok? How about eating fish ...?

I vote for fish, then chicken! However, if you have every been around a chicken farm whoa, the smell is pretty ripe. Have to wonder if they have done any study as to how that smell gets into the air and what it is.

The chickens may be giving the cows a run for the prize and they just have not researched it!

[online.education]

I vote for fish, then chicken! However, if you have every been around a chicken farm whoa, the smell is pretty ripe. Have to wonder if they have done any study as to how that smell gets into the air and what it is.

The chickens may be giving the cows a run for the prize and they just have not researched it!

Farmers do not grow chickens. They (or perhaps I should say farm factory workers) produce chickens or (or perhaps I should say living organisms categorized as "chicken"). I certainly agree that today's production method has a very serious problem.