HOST:
In recent months, members of the mainstream media have been suggesting the need for a change
in our diets to save the planet. Consider this excerpt from an article published by the UK-based The Guardian on September 10, 2011 by Felicity Lawrence, is a special correspondent for The Guardian and bestselling author.
VO:
『Is It Time We All Gave Up Meat?』By Felicity Lawrence The Guardian, September 10, 2011
『The two most pressing reasons for cutting back on meat today are climate change and global population growth. The post-war years have seen an explosion in the numbers of animals intensively reared for meat and milk. This livestock revolution, and the change in land use that has gone with it,
however, now contribute nearly one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Most people could do more for the climate by cutting meat than giving up their car and plane journeys. The UN predicts that the number of farm animals will double by 2050. Except, of course, it can't. The livestock of Europe already require an area of vegetation seven times
the size of Europe to keep them in feed. If people in emerging economies start eating as much meat as we do, there simply won't be enough planet. Intensive meat production
is a very inefficient way of feeding the world. Farm a decent acre with cattle and you can produce about 20lbs of beef protein. Give the same acre over to wheat and you can produce 138lbs of protein for human consumption. If the grain that is currently used to feed animals were fed instead directly to people, there may be just enough food to go round when population peaks.』