What are Greenhouse Gas emissions?
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, climate change has been a topic that everyone’s been talking about from Sir David Attenborough to your next-door neighbour Deborah… and for good reason too.
Our planet is sick because of our pollution, which stays in the air for thousands of years and creates a thickening blanket that traps heat in the atmosphere.
Wondering why hurricanes are becoming stronger, fires are getting larger and floods are becoming more frequent? It’s because of our pollution and we have a big mess to clean up!
We emit about 50 billion tons of the stuff into the atmosphere a year, and if we don’t start making changes in the way in which we treat our planet, irreversible damage and dire consequences are what we and our kids will have to deal with in years to come.
Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee, Oh no!
Believe it or not, around 25-30% of emissions are caused by methane from livestock, in other words burps and farts produced by cows and such. No Joke!
Reducing the amount of animal products that we consume can contribute towards a positive change in reducing these emissions. So, cows, it’s time to moooove aside!
Methane and nitrous oxide are significant greenhouse gases as they have much greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Meaning the more cows, sheep and other animals being bred for consumption, the more damage it’s doing to our planet.
Reducing gas emissions from livestock will in turn help reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and lessen future climate change. So next time you’re thinking about cooking up a steak, think about what’s really at stake!
Mindful Munching
You might be thinking how your food choices can have such a big impact? Surly not, right? Wrong. That beef steak you brought for dinner. Do you really know where it came from? How about how the meat has been raised, prepared, processed, and packaged? What about the carbon footprint that the delivery truck has left by pumping gases and fumes into the air on the way to its delivery?
There’s a much bigger picture to the problem, and if we start making small but important changes to the way in which we purchase and consume food, it can make a really big difference!
So, is Veganism a viable vibe?
It’s true that the carbon footprint of a veggo diet is lower that of a meat – lovers’ diet. But does that mean we should go full throttle and cut meat out all together?
Not necessarily.
Sure, veganism is awesome, and we take our hats off to all the herbivores out there! But just like anything in life, keeping things in moderation and being mindful is the key. The idea here is to be conscious and to make changes where we can, realistically so we can make them a lifestyle and not just a quick ‘save the planet’ fad or facade. Implementing meat-free Monday as well as swapping animal products for plant based alternatives are all small and steady changes that are a great place to start.