Americans recognize less meat means good sense.

 With food prices having starkly risen in the past year, some US households are looking to replace expensive protein from meat with more affordable plant-based protein. Higher energy and corn prices have caused meat shipping and production to become even more costly, which translates not only to higher prices, but also to greater greenhouse gas emissions.

Professor Al Gini
Institute of Industrial Relations, Loyola University, Chicago, USA

Professor Al Gini of the School of Business Ethics: When you look at it in the long run, it takes more food to produce that food than we could get the protein from another source.

To gauge the public’s awareness regarding the impact of a meat-based diet, Supreme Master Television surveys the Loyola University community in the third largest US city of Chicago.

Supreme Master Television correspondent in Chicago, USA

We’re speaking to Debra Shore, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Commissioner. Hi, Commissioner.

Debra Shore, Metro Water Reclamation District officer: Good afternoon.

The breeding of livestock is a major contributor to the pollution and all the gas emissions in the environment, so do you have any words to say regarding eating less meat?

Debra Shore, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Debra Shore, Metro Water Reclamation District officer: Well, it certainly is true that it takes a great deal of water to produce a pound of beef and that is going to be an issue and there are ways to provide for ourselves with food that gives us enough protein.

It is now widely known that meat production is one of the most carbon intensive industries in the world.

Professor Al Gini: That has to be true in regards to personal health, personal ecology and economics. Ask your cardiologist: “Should you cut back on meat?” And the answer would be: “Yes”! And I think this is all together again part of this global awareness of what does it do in the long run, what’s the carbon footprint.

Summer Roberts, Community Relations, Loyola University: Now we’re starting to realize that we can’t take advantage. And that goes to our diet; that goes to the products and clothing and things that we consume.

As the public becomes more conscious of their energy use, millions are turning to carbon footprint calculators on the internet. Many of these take into account whether one is vegetarian (vegan).


Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward of the City of Chicago, USA

Alderman Joe Moore: There’s simply not enough on our planet to be able to sustain this at this level so I think educating people about how to eat more healthy, how to eat less meat will not only benefit them and benefit their physical health but will benefit the planet.

One of the initiatives that Supreme Master Television promoted was Meatout Day. Would your ward be interested in promoting that as a way of reducing?

Alderman Joe Moore: Oh, absolutely and we have an e-mail list of over 4000 residents in my ward that receive regular e-mails from my office about community news and events, and this is certainly something that we would definitely want to support.

Chris, Student, Loyola University, Chicago, USA: We can help reduce our carbon emission footprint on this planet, if we go green and if we go vegetarian.

Way to go smart consumers everywhere, who are looking to change to a plant-based diet for reasons of health, economics and ecology. It's clear that everyone wins when we make the life-affirming choice to go veg!

http://www.desmogblog.com/eat-less-meat-to-fight-climate-change-ipcc-chief-says 

Climate change impacts Âu Lạc (Vietnam). 

With two of the largest fertile low lying deltas in the world and a 3,200 kilometer coastline, Âu Lạc’s topography also faces great risks from global warming.
The World Bank has warned of scientific evidence showing that the impact of rising sea levels from climate change could be potentially disastrous. The dire effects of global warming such as floods, droughts, extremes in weather and loss of crops are already being felt throughout the nation.


Owner of rice noodle shop, Âu Lạc (Vietnam): The weather is different this year. In previous years, it only rained a few days. This year, it rained all throughout the month of February; the weather is unstable.

Owner of rice noodle shop, Âu Lạc (Vietnam): Several houses in this area, many people won’t have enough to eat.

Salesperson at Pharmacy, Âu Lạc (Vietnam): It’s been freezing cold for over one month. Plants couldn’t survive, the same with rice.

From India to Thailand to China and Âu Lạc, the Asian continent is facing a major crisis as climate change is significantly affecting the staple crop of rice. Supreme Master Television reports from Central Âu Lạc, speaking with those most affected, the farmers.


Farmer: We usually harvest about 350 to 400 kilograms for each 1,000 square meters of land. This year, very few people could produce even 300 kilograms on the same land. The price is increasing. For example, previously, 1 kilogram of rice was $2,200 đồng. Now, it’s $5,500 đồng per kilogram.

Rice exports are expected to be restricted until June. As in many other Asian countries, Âu Lạc’s environment is also being threatened by rapid deforestation. Oxford University’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the recent Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hà Nội, stated that the mass deforestation represents what he calls “an appalling crisis.”


Farmer: Polluted air causes all kinds of diseases; plants cannot grow. In the last few years, the problem here was that people were cutting, destroying and burning the forests.

One factor of deforestation is overgrazing by livestock. In addition, run-off from intensive pig and poultry farming is damaging the health of the coastal soil and seas, affecting drinking water supplies. For the sake of protecting their health, Aulacese (Vietnamese) citizens say that discouraging meat consumption would help ease global warming.

Owner of rice noodle shop:  There are many news about global warming, so for now if everyone eats vegetables instead of meat every day, then it would be better. Rice is the main staple. Also the weather, natural disasters, and floods, they affect our everyday life. Now the climate is that when it rains, it rains so much, when sunny, it's too hot.

Saleswoman at a Pharmacy:  For example, we don't need to mention much, we see already the  loss of rice harvest, people not having enough food. Second, the floods occurred during the wrong season. Now if we want to protect the environment, I think we should eat vegetarian.

We pray for the people of Âu Lạc (Vietnam), and especially the families in the farming areas. May your beautiful country and all other lands coping with the challenges of climate change be blessed with a quick restoration of ecological harmony.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080327/wl_asia_afp/vietnamenvironmentclimatesea_080327053004
http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Economics/2008/04/16/rice_crisis_and_southeast_asia/1309/
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/03/27/asia.food.ap/index.html

Drought in US Southwest linked to global warming.

Climate change expert, Dr. Jonathan Overpeck of the University of Arizona, has affirmed the likelihood of a current regional drought being caused by global warming. The continuation of this dry period, the region’s worst in more than 100 years, could bring on ‘dust-bowl’ conditions as water runoff from the Colorado River further decreases.

Dr. Overpeck, we convey our sincere thanks for calling our attention to the implications of a changing climate. May we all conserve precious resources such as water as we work to curb the effects of climate change.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g9tnjjwDDLRLocGKcY3npii3dczw


Minimizing deforestation is a key to climate stabilization. 

Last week, a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) official spoke before the US Senate, saying that deforestation is responsible for one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. David Hayes, a senior WWF fellow, testifying at a Senate hearing on International Deforestation and Climate Change, said, “Simply put, we cannot make progress in battling climate change unless we reduce the alarming rate of deforestation.”

We salute you, Mr. Hayes, for your dedicated advocacy of preserving the world’s precious natural resources. For the sake of all beings’ survival, we pray that the world’s forests are better protected so that they may continue sustaining our lives here on Earth.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0422-07.htm
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080422a.html