Animal Agriculture

I went to UCC.org and searched for “global warming.”  The first link that comes up offers ways that we can help reduce our carbon footprint.  Under ways we can do that with food, it says:

• Food: grow a garden for vegetables and herbs, support your local farmers through a CSA, limit packaging and waste, start a compost pile.

I am disappointed that this says NOTHING about reducing consumption of animals, even though animal agriculture is the LEADING CAUSE OF GREENHOUSE GASES.  Reducing animals consumption will do more to slow global warming than ANYTHING ELSE, but no one suggests doing that because it’s an ugly thing to talk about.  People like eating meat and they get really defensive about it.

You know what else people are defensive about?  Their homophobic views.  The reasons they don’t support social safety nets.  The reasons they “deserve” wealth and people in poverty “deserve” that.  Alcoholism.  Racism.  Sexism.  Why they drive a giant vehicle even though they don’t haul things.  Why they don’t recycle (it’s too hard!).  Why they don’t compost (ew!).  Why they shop at giant corporate stores who abuse people in many ways.  

Yet we all understand that these are important things to speak out against because we understand that while it can be difficult to talk to someone about these things, they matter.  Yet when you say that folks should try to adopt more earth-friendly eating habits, you’re an extremist.  You’re a terrible person.  

If I called someone out for eating beef, I would come off as a jerk.  If I call someone out for saying “f*g” or “p***y” or driving a Hummer, though, I’m brave and awesome.

I understand that no one likes being judged.  I don’t say things to my friends and family who eat meat in front of me every single day because I understand that it comes off as judgement.  However, when we talk about any of the other issues above, we are promoting justice.  When we talk about promoting vegetarianism or veganism or simply REDUCING animal consumption, I’m a judgmental jerk. 

All I know is: science is on my side.  97% of scientists agree that global climate change is HAPPENING and that it is because of HUMAN activity.  The largest contributing factor to global warming is animal agriculture.  17% of greenhouse gases are caused by animal agriculture.  

I’m ONLY talking about the environmental impact, too.  Animal agriculture is mostly inhumane,  funded by our tax dollars to keep costs ARTIFICIALLY low, disproportionately abuses undocumented workers, with NAFTA it impoverishes farmers in developing and impoverished countries where their styles of animal agriculture are NOT cruel and inhumane, it breeds disease, and the unhealthy amount of meat that we eat contributes to health epidemics like heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, etc.  

Seriously.  Reducing animal consumption is the right thing to do and I’m a giant jerk for even writing this.