Would eating less meat cure global health and environmental woes?

by Melissa Chavez
Noted authors, food historians, doctors and now major cities are recommending that Americans (and Canadians, and the globe) consume less meat.
Livestock is the fastest growing component of global agriculture. Since 1980, the number of pigs and poultry have quadrupled and the number of cattle, sheep and goats have doubled, according to a U.N. report released in late 2006.
Seventy percent of the world’s cropland is devoted to raising crops for the animals and for ranges for them to move about. Currently, 60 billion animals (cattle, chicken, pigs, turkeys) are eaten by humans every year; which is about nine animals per global human. The United States accounts for 10 billion of those animals alone.

Livestock and global warming
The significance of this industry on the global environment is often overlooked. In fact, just this month, hundreds of leading scientists meeting in Copenhagen warned that global warming is accelerating beyond the worst predictions and is threatening to trigger “irreversible” climate shifts on the planet.
The nearly 2,000 climate researchers urged policymakers to “vigorously” implement the economic and technological tools available to cut emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, but did not address agribusiness’ role in the equation.
According to “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.N., animal farming is greatly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
The industry indirectly contributes carbon dioxide through deforestation for pasture and feed crop land, and burning of fossil fuels for feed production, farm and slaughterhouse operations, cold transportation and refrigeration. Livestock also directly produce carbon dioxide by respiration. Methane (a greenhouse gas 23 times more effective at warming the globe than CO2) is produced by farm animal manure. It is also produced by the enteric fermentation (belching and flatulence) of cattle, sheep and other ruminants. Additionally, livestock activities contribute nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas 296 times more potent than CO2) mainly through manure and nitrogen fertilizer application.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize — said diet change is one way individuals can help tackle global warning, and it is important because of the environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.
It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said.
His statements are just the tip of what some renowned authors and historians have been reporting for years.
In Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the focus is on what he calls the overuse of corn, for purposes ranging from fattening cattle to massive production of corn
oil, high-fructose corn syrup, and other corn derivatives, all used in the fast food, pre-made food and frozen food industries. The adage most repeated from his book is “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Barry Popkin cites portion-control and the prevalence of added sugar in convenience foods as problems other countries are fixing in dealing with their obesity issues, in his book The World is Fat.
Mark Bittman, author of Food Matters, and a columnist for the New York Times, has been explaining how your diet can affect more than your health. Inspired by the same U.N. report that showed the greenhouse gas emissions of livestock, Bittman’s latest novel advocates for less meat consumption all around.
“Eating a steak or burger requires a cow; you grow it, feed it for years, butcher it, transport it to market … all of which takes more energy than if you just ate some corn,” he said in a recent interview. “Let’s say you have 10 meals of meat a week. If you eat a couple of meals (of meat) less a week, you are doing better, health-wise, and for the environment.”
As part of the Green Cincinnati Plan, the city’s Food Task Force met to discuss a campaign that would ask that residents replace some of the meat in their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.
The goal would be that each resident cut back one day of meat consumption per week by 2012. Meat production is responsible for producing roughly one fifth of global greenhouse gases.
Vancouver, Canada, is also considering meat reduction recommendations for its citizens, with a formal proposal in April.

Health matters
Another effect of meat consumption as it relates to the fast food industry, is the increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity in the United States.
The U.S. obesity rate in men grew to 33.3 percent in 2005-2006, and reached 35.3 percent in women, reports the CDC. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. With diabetes, heart attacks occur earlier in life and often result in death.
The connection between meat and fast food consumption is very strong. In fact, for diseases ranging from heart disease and diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, doctors have been more aggressively advocating a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Bittman also looks at diet and food consumption globally. “On the entire planet, 700 million people are undernourished but 1.6 billion people are overweight,” he said.
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On March 20 — the first day of spring — thousands of caring people in all 50 U.S. states and two dozen other countries get active to host educational Meatout events. Celebrating its 25th year, the annual event’s activities include colorful festivals, lectures, public dinners, feed-ins, cooking demos, food samplings, leafleting, information tables and more. For information, visit http://www.meatout.org/

Melissa Chavez is the current editor of The Portland Alliance.
graphic by Eric Brinck