The United Nations will meet for the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from Dec. 7-18, and there is one issue that needs attention in addition to major pollutants such as coal and cars. In order for the United Nations to reach a fair climate agreement, they need to discuss the role of livestock, because it’s a significant contributor to climate change.
Recently, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) published a report stating that livestock accounted for 18 percent (one-fifth) of global emissions. If you add up all of the emissions from our modes of transportation, it’s not as much as the emissions from livestock. Although the issue of livestock contributing to the climate change is a sensitive subject, the media needs to shed light on it.
Do you feel that the way you’re eating has an impact on the environment? If you have never thought about your food this way, it’s beneficial to keep an open mind and eat more consciously. Although you might think your diet is insignificant to the larger picture, this is not necessarily the case. If you’re eating meat every day of the week, then you’re supporting the factory farms that house and raise the livestock. As a result, more livestock is bred, raised and transported to fulfill the demand, which only creates more pollution. As with anything in life, there is a cyclical pattern of consequence, so although your diet is a personal behavior, it affects everyone and everything.
Obviously, forcing everyone to become vegetarian or vegan isn’t realistic, but it’s crucial for us to analyze this problem and come up with more efficient means for livestock production. You can make a difference by reducing your consumption of meat and eating meat from local farms. Also, raising awareness about the connection between livestock and climate change is imperative, because the media hasn’t covered this issue in its entirety. Regardless of how sensitive a subject livestock might be, we need to tackle the roots of climate change, which appear to be livestock, coal and our transportation. Show that you support a fair climate agreement by signing the UN Worldwide Campaign on Climate Change petition here.
