I wanna just put this out there and get it off my chest. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and this is one of mine. Climate change exists and conditions will worsen if very drastic changes aren’t made very soon. Scientific doctrine has shown over and over (<sigh>, and over) again that man-made climate change is very real and very dire. And ask Jen, I’m all about all things science, much of which is over my head, and pragmatism in general. Climate change got started during the Industrial Revolution, the situation has only gotten worse in the 120+ years since. I support the widespread use of nuclear reactors for power generation; it has gotten much, much safer over the years. I also like the idea of using clean and renewable energy sources everywhere – like solar, wind, wave, biofuels, etc. – while we transition away from our dependency on fossil fuels. And don’t even get me started on vaccines and the anti-vaxx movement. Another topic, another time.
I know this probably makes me sound like a dyed-in-the-wool, granola-crunching tree-hugger (were all those hyphens necessary?), but that just isn’t true. I will say this, though, if I could drive, there’s a decent chance that there’d be a Subaru wagon parked in the garage. The back of it might also be plastered with bumper stickers that say stuff like: “Save the Spotted Whales” or “Give Peas a Chance” (It’d definitely have one that says “Still Pissed at Yoko”).
I guess I oughtta get to the point of this blog post –
About 6-7 years ago, Jen’s nephew CJ came to stay with us for a while after high school. He wanted better job opportunities that came from living near St. Louis, and he needed a place to stay while he got his feet up under him. He’s from a small town in Southern Illinois (aka, “God’s Country”) called West Frankfort. In fact, Jen’s whole family is from around there. Some of you went there when we got married in 2002. Anyway, CJ kinda new my views on the whole climate change thing. We were talking about it one time and he asked me what the deal was with “the effects of eating meat on climate change”. Not being much of a conversationalist, I instead wrote up a little document for him that hopefully helped explain my views. Even though it’s a few years old, this stuff still matters to me….
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Eating Meat and Climate Change
I got lernt about this by watching my Bill Nye Saves the World show:
It takes 40 pounds of feed for cattle to yield 10 pounds of beef
It takes 30 pounds of feed for hogs to yield 10 pounds of pork
It takes 20 pounds of feed for turkeys and chickens to yield 10 pounds of poultry
It takes just 10 pounds of fish food to yield 10 pounds of… fish
Why should we care about that?
Well, in a nutshell it’s because growing food for animals to eat uses a lot of resources and using some of those resources (gasoline and diesel fuel for energy) releases a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
Additionally, cows and pigs fart – a lot. Floating around in those farts is methane gas (CH4). Methane is also a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide, only it’s something like 10 or 20 times worse for the atmosphere. (Sidenote: There are tons and tons of methane locked away underground in the permafrost in places like Alaska and northern Canada. It’s been safely kept there for thousands of years. As the polar ice caps recede due to global warming, the ground warms and defrosts and releases that gas into the air.)
Vegetation (rainforests mostly) act as the “lungs” for Mother Nature. Plants and trees “inhale” and use CO2 and “exhale” O2 which we humans, and all animals, need to survive. These processes are parts of photosynthesis. Plants and animals have a symbiotic relationship, that simply means that they need us, and we need them.
That’s why deforestation, clearing the land, for whatever reason, is so bad for us and all animals. In South America, the Amazon rainforest is being cut back at an alarming rate to create room for: cattle ranches, farmland for growing feed, and feedlots – the last stop for cattle where they get fattened up before going to the slaughterhouse. In Southeast Asia, they’re clearing land as fast as they can to create palm oil plantations, with the blessing from local governments. I never heard of palm oil but apparently, it’s a widely used food additive.
In addition to the environmental concerns, eating a bunch of beef and pork all the time isn’t exactly healthy for you. Now, I’m nowhere near ready to go full vegan because I just flat out don’t want to – but my days of smoked brisket and ribs every weekend won’t be happening hardly ever anymore. I like fish pretty much; I would probably eat more of it if the nearest fresh seafood didn’t live 900 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico.
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It’s not like I’ve sworn off meat entirely. I’ll still have the occasional hamburger or enchilada. Pepperoni and bacon pizza continues to be one of my many weaknesses. I used to love to make chili. – you know, the regular kind with tomato sauce, meat and beans. I remember telling Jen one time, ‘I make the best chili.’ She probably thought but was too kind to say, ‘Easy Bobby Flay – you have exactly zero Michelin stars adorning your kitchen wall.’ I think everybody thinks they’re the best at making 1 or 2 things, probably because they make whatever the way they like it. Am I the only one who cooks for my own tastebuds instead of everybody else’s? Maybe, that tracks, Nowadays, when I get a hankering for some traditional, hearty, “red” chili, I have some, get this – Vegetarian Chili. I know, sounds disgusting right? (BTW, I can almost hear the eyes rolling.) Eating vegetarian chili should be a mortal sin, like putting pineapple on pizza. Those things just can’t happen. But actually, they’re both pretty good.
Anyway, there’s my stance on climate change and how eating meat affects it.
Nur meine zwei Cent,
– Jim
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lockedinjim 
Glad you are back to writing, I missed your columns. Here is my opinion on the subject.
A resounding Yes to nuclear power! Just don’t watch Chernobyl. LOL
I agree that modern day Industrial farming is horrible for the land and the animals. My Dad had awful stories to tell about the slaughter houses (Kevin can confirm) I have had several opportunities to visit and stay at the Schoeder regenerative farm in Leussow, Germany. They raise organic beef, pork and venison for highend restaurants in Berlin and Hamburg. Regenerative farming is healthy for all concerned. They rotate pastures (pooping to fertilize each field which is more eco friendly than chemicals). At home, we get our meats, eggs and dairy from an Indiana farm with the same practices. The downsides are the cost and the time involved. Not everyone can afford the cost.
Recycling is good, but using less is better, and without judging, we can all do a little bit. Take out containers, food delivery packaging, and pretty much anything plastic adds to landfills. Go to the EPA website to see the millions of tons of waste generated by decade. It has gone up steadily since 1960. LIttle things like people changing from bar soap to big plastic jugs of liquid soap (plastic made from fossil fuels), clothes went from natural cotton to plastics (nylon, rayon, lycra), all plastic trashcans get a plastic liner now instead of hosing out the big metal trashcan(remember those-and it did not have wheels). Even recycling takes a tremendous amount of coal fired energy and heated water( plus caustic soda) to break down those Amazon boxes into paper pulp to someday become a new box. You may have figured out I sell packaging and see way too much waste!
Have a wonderful week!!
Caroline
I loved that show Chernobyl – good explanation of what happened. I was 19 years old in ’86. I remember it vaguely, but back then I wasn’t much in tune with current events. I was more focused on beer, girls and hanging out with friends.
I watched documentaries one time called “Food, Inc.” and “Fed Up” (by Katie Couric). One of them did a deep dive into how slaughterhouses work. Very sad, disgusting and upsetting. I became a vegetarian for a few months after that.
That’s interesting about regenerative farming. I’ve learned a little bit about a thing called vertical farming in the past. It’s where they grow food indoors in a large building or old warehouse. Instead of using acres and acres of farmland for growing food, in vertical farming the rows of crops go up and up to the ceiling. It’s pretty low impact on natural resources like water and soil. I hope it takes off someday because they’re perfect for urban areas and food deserts.
Not to get too philosophical but seeing mankind’s impact on the planet can be a little depressing at times. I don’t see me becoming an “environmental activist” that’s insufferable for others to be around any time soon, but I can see how people get sucked into that.
You-can-NEVER-use-too-many-hyphens. Nice entry today, Brother.
Thanks. Yeah, writing these blog posts give my grammar and spelling muscles a good workout!
I foolishly bypassed the step where I ask Jen to proofread this post before I “publish” it. I thought to myself, ‘I got this. Besides, I’m not an idiot.’ Um, not so much. It’s been brought to my attention that I said, ‘CJ new…’ instead of, ‘CJ knew…’. Whew, I’m glad it wasn’t “there” instead of “their” or “they’re” – I hate that one!
I cannot worry about all of mankind, I cannot change other people anyways unless they are willing. I can only do the best I can to be responsible. I always think back to my dear sister Kathy trying to get us to recycle at my Moms. She sorted the trash after parties. I for one did not pay much attention until she was gone. Now there is a recycle bin in the kitchen- that gets filled. It is a start! Each person doing what they can to buy local, and maybe have a garden for seasonal vegetables ( I do cucumbers, garlic, onion, arugula, , brocolli, and tomatoes on a postage stamp size urban garden) will produce a combined affect. I would love to have chickens, but my husband is not a big fan of losing his carport that he keeps his “project” car under. Luckily my daughter is also my neighbor and we agree to not spray our yards with chemicals, so it is bee (and dandelion) heaven!
Have a wonderful week!
Caroline
Good stuff as usual Cuz!!! I definitely do not eat pork for a couple weeks after calling on my JBS pork facility. It’s so nasty!! The factory farming and processing is definitely not helping our planet and climate. I feel home growing and dialing back our mass consumption could help if everyone does their small part. I am not fully vegetarian by any means but since my wife and daughter kind of are(they eat some seafood, so I guess they are technically pescatarian) I have cut way back on my meat and poultry consumption. I tend to really only order them when I go out to eat since I don’t feel like cooking it just for me. So my laziness probably isn’t helping matters. I would love to buy meat and poultry from a local farm but don’t really want a cow in the freezer for two years. I probably don’t save a lot of money growing my own veggies, but I definitely eat a lot less processed foods because I am forced to come up with home recipes for my produce. I now make my own pasta sauce and salsa which helps me control the sodium levels(thanks Schroeder genes for the high BP and cholesterol). As concerned citizens, I think we all should try to consume less, grow more, eat local, and reduce our chemical usage and waste. Have a good day!!!!
Kevin
Great post! I wish there was a way to offer better (healthier) food to those of lower means. Dollar/Value menus create a cycle of bad nutrition and overall health especially among those who even if they chose to, couldn’t afford the salad bar at Whole Foods (as an example). A little off the point from your post…
That Katie Couric documentary talked about that – cheaper to buy McDonald’s Value Meal CB than a bunch of broccoli.