Do you know the #1 cause of global warming?

WOW. I really had no idea it was that serious. Someone told me the other day that it takes 12,000 gallons of water just to produce ONE pound of beef. Completely unsustainable. If we were eating cows and chickens in a natural way, not mass-produced factory-style, it wouldn't be bad to eat meat. But with our current situation, it looks like it's a really bad idea.

Cutting of the Trees in Rain Forest Mountains is probably another big reason

That is, the American meat industry. Talk about selfish back stabbers.

how about using birthcontrol... that should slow population growth to normal levels that are sustainable.

The two main causes for the earth is - over population, and a world of finite resources. Solar production is the way to stop things, since we do not all need to not drive, but use alternate means. we can still eat meat if all else is considered. i propose solar is the outside resource, that is infinite in terms of the sun dieing out before us.

in the interim - how about not having 10 kids and you live in the city.

how about moving closer to work.

how about making your home less resource hogging.

how about turning off unused appliances.

how about working hard to teach your children good habits.

these are things you can do NOW... etc....

what causes global warming? it's a combinorial, meaning = it has many causes. knowing what causes it first is the priority then acting on it is the harder part on an economic scale.

not many people will give up their meat as parents with children want them to be healthy, and meat is the key source of protein, while other foods are not purchased - their price is not right yet. Parents also eat meat more than not, since they only know a few things a child can eat which is easy to make or buy ready.

a life change is what is needed, but the almost impossible part is the many diverse countries and cultures not to mention armies that will not let another country dictate what they will do within.

i pray something makes the people of this world change, and get along in such a way that is conducive to stop global warming and human existence as we know it for our children infinitum....

njoy... Oly

The #1 cause of Global Warming?
Humans! And the Earth won't heal until we're gone(obviously) All futility aside, stopping one damaging action is not enough! We can't eat meat forever (obviously),... we can't drive cars forever (obviously),... we can't use fossil fuels forever (obviously) we can't cut all forests (obviously),... we can't use electronics forever (obviously),... the list goes on, and on.
And if it's not obvious, THAT is the cause of Global Warming,... stupidity, naivete, greed, hate!!
Now, guess what is 'nigh? END TRANSMISSION.

"methane is methane, whether it's boiling up from the bottom of Siberia or coming out a cow's ass"

Actually most of the methane comes from the cows mouth, as in a belch, This pointless fact was brought to you by Rabidlemur, give me money!

I guess I am a whiny Vegan..by your definition.
I just started being Vegan and I want to share with people through Current how nice it is and my resources.
Current is a great place to learn new things and not feel like you are being shut up by the media which is supported through these mega industries.

I am not 100% vegan by any means..I don't feel like I have to be religious about it..I would say I am 90% true Vegan. ..you can be any percentage you choose including 0%. When I was on a trip last week I had to have some cheese on the plane because of not being in the habit yet of preparing backup meals to take along.

This is your personal choice but the information should be out there

...remember how Oprah was shut up by the Meat Industry

I love steak and cheese too with a passion but I wanted to share that I am not really missing it with the great resources there are now. I am developing other tastes and now cheese tastes funny to me.

I think that it would be another great option to cut down on meat like they do in other countries..
or just to be mindful of how much you need and what impact it is having on our Earth.

I wish I knew what that meant. but i dont. I do know this though: god is watching you, he's the voice of your better reason, and he's saying things you either understand but refuse to admit, or that you admit but refuse to act upon.

You can always do more.

Oh I remember the article Julie. Americans eat twice the daily intake of red meat than everyone else in the world. If they reduce their intake by twenty percent it would comparable to every single car in America being replaced by a high efficient low EMISSION hybrid. Ok I got that. I think I’m in the clear. Not to mention that I sector 9 to work like everyday. So ha! I’m not whiny I just have a cooler soap box than you.

xenomode, here's the UN study, which is cited by PETA on their website:

5. H. Steinfeld, P. Gerber, T. Wassenaar, V. Castel, M. Rosales, and C. de Haan, “Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options,” Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).

http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp

Ricky, I love you but you sure are a whiny boy. :P
Even if you just reduce your meat eating by one or two days a week (AND if everyone followed your example) it would make a major impact on global warming by reducing the world's demand for meat. So, assuage your guilt which you must be feeling, otherwise you wouldn't bother reading Current.com, and go veg once a week. I can't stand preachy vegans either (and haven't ever been able to give up my cheese) but you gotta admit, they have a point.

LOL @ Stephenthomson. DO IT FOR YOUR BOWELS. Plus cows manure is so nasty. Have you ever driven on highway 5 between Los Angeles and San Fran? There is a feedlot smack in the middle of the route, and the stench of manure hits you miles before you see a single cow. Methane central.

Emissions :P Sorry I got caught up in the moment. I was serious you guys piss me off sometimes with your constant nagging. It's ok though I'll just treat my wounded ego with a nice medium rare steak tonight and then I'll go flick pennies at livestock.

I think you said it Ricky. The solution is "high vehicle omissions."

Oh wow, you vegans are SO preachy. Most of the time I hear a vegan give his sermon all I can think is that this guy/girl is trying so hard to give himself an ego boost. Its no wonder why you and PETA are ignored. I don’t know if you have realized this but you’re never going to convince everyone to stop eating meat. Why can’t you guys just focus on the real issue in a responsible manner and forgo trying to accomplish the impossible? The best solution for high vehicle omissions is not a bicycle, it’s a cleaner running car. Just like the best solution for the meat industry is not a world of vegans but a cleaner, respectful meat industry. You damn yourself to ridicule when all you offer is your own solution. Remember we meat eaters are callous assholes, that's why you hate us.

You mean you don't have the book?
~~
And I quote from An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, page 317:

"Modify your diet to include less meat"

Americans consume almost a quarter of all beef produced in the world. Aside from health issues associated with eating lots of meat, a high-meat diet translates into a tremendous amount of carbon emissions. It takes far more fossil -fuel energy to produce and transport meat than to deliver equivalent amounts of protein from plant sources.

In addition, much of the world's deforestation is a result of clearing and burning to create more grazing land for livestock. This creates further damage by destroying trees that would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide. Fruits, vegetables, and grains, on the other hand, require 95% less raw materials to produce and, when combined properly, can provide a complete and nutritious diet. If more Americans shifted to a less meat-intensive diet, we could greatly reduce Co2 emissions and also save vast quantities of water and other precious natural resources.

For more information about cows and global warming, visit www.earthsave.org/global warming.htm and www.epa.gov/methane/rlep/faq.html
~~~
Of course, this won't be good enough for those just looking for something to complain about regarding the man.

I'll have to get some offsets then. I'm not giving up my ribeyes, medium rare please.

pace, it's PETA, not PETP.

My problem with PETA is it only weighs in on one issue. In New Mexico it spent millions to stop cock fighting. Save the chickens; while children in one of the poorest states in the union are in poverty.

please by all means, quote page 317 for us.

We need laws to cut carbon being spewed by the processing plants which are exactly what is being addressed by him and others when they talk about carbon and methane emissions as a whole. Where is the push for that? Why isn't PETA pushing Congress? Why aren't WE? BTW, he does address it in An Inconvenient Truth, page 317. Perhaps PETA and others should actually read the book.

And in fact by NOT coming out on the issue it paints him as upholding certain biases or interests despite their negative environmental impact.

Yes I agree that it would be helpful for Al Gore to come out on this issue. I feel badly for him that he takes so much criticism from Fox News and such.. and he is a saint in my eyes..but it would be helpful...
perhaps he can show others that it is not so bad...or cut down on steak consumption to a few times a week...
or perhaps just try it for a month...as an example.

There is a theory that what caused the dinosaur's demise was that they passed too much gas. I think it is appropriate for PETA to revive the "fart of destruction" theory.

I think PETA is attempting to do that, by starting with the #1 global warming guru. There are many environmentalists out there who take issue with Gore for not addressing the beef industry as he has the transportation and building sectors. Gore has the podium at the world stage in the discussion of climate change. It behooves him to talk about this. Why is he discriminating? methane is methane, whether it's boiling up from the bottom of Siberia or coming out a cow's ass.

Then you need to spread that criticism to all environmentalists. The targeted attack is very telling.

Cows also drink 50% of America's water, so not only are those bastards responsible for global warming and world hunger, but they're also responsible for the water shortage.

Cows are evil and docile. Bomb Iran? No. Bomb cows.

If God didn't want us to eat meat he wouldn't have made it taste so good. Also if we stop eating animals are they suddenly going to stop shiiting? I think not, after all you tin foil hat wearing goofballs convince everyone to stop eating meat PETA will come screaming that we can't kill the cows that are over running the world.

Well, yeah population is always an issue, but really here people, meat consumption is one of those things our kids are gonna look back at and think, "Geez, you all were spoiled and extravagent..."

Livestock is an integral part of certain farming systems, and we need to stop this destructive monoculture industrial farming and start getting serious about agroecology... Farming systems that work with nature and mimick ecosystems. They are different by region, and yes, cows are part of some of them, but on a smaller, healthier way where the cow gets to be a cow and people can have some animal protein once and a while, not at every meal.

And Michael Pollan rocks, check out all his stuff.

I would think that the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your climate change impact is to avoid reproducing.

Where's the "major United Nations study"???

site your sources PETA!!!

So you think PETA attacking Al Gore alone is actually going to do them good? The one man who has done more to raise awareness of this? How does PETA know his eating habits? And why focus just on him? Well, because to attack Al Gore gets them publicity. Coming out and stating that the meat industry does more to contribute to climate change in a professional way is one thing. You know, like actually taking on the factory farms that produce the CO2? Or taking on beef companies to fight for proper disclosure on packaging? However, just using Al Gore to get publicity is tacky. If they really care about it, perhaps they should tell their board member Bill Maher to do the same as he admitted he eats meat on his show.

Oh no! I have been unfortunately producing carbon dioxide by eating meat! This completely sucks!

would it have been from his book "The Omnivore's Dilemma"? I haven't read any of his stuff but I found the description of that book similar to what you said about following various food chains from source to destination.

A few years ago I read an article about the way beef is raised; the article was written by a guy named Michael Pollan. He bought a calf and followed it from start to the finish (livestock slaughterhouse). I stopped eating meat after reading that article. More, every time I even think of eating meat, I think back to that article, and I lose my appetite.

So far, I don't miss the stuff......

One more reason to boycott meat.

hoooray veggies!!!

being a veg is awesome. it would be great if we even just limited our meat intake enough that there were less cows, no crowded pens, no hormones and low prices. family farms could survive and cows could be less crowded.
i say go veg (cause they still die) but less meat is totally more quality :)

good on you, Nate!

This is cool that I'm reading this now. I had no idea about the cows and stuff. I started being a vegetarian about a week ago and I'm still going strong.

How about just reducing meat consumption? I mean, we still need leather, right? :)

Sorry, I don't eat much meat but I gotta have a hamburger once in a while, and pepperoni for my pizza.

I don't think we can get everyone to fully abandon meat, so there's no worry in that. Even if you can't give up meat entirely, I think giving up beef is a really good idea -- raising the cattle is what's putting most of the CO2 in the air. More than cars & trucks combined.

See, just like cars, I don't think the solution is to fully abandon meat. If everyone shifts to a different method, somehow that will screw things up. (I am not claiming to know how, I am just guessing)

If we want to have an effect on climate change we need to diversify, not look for one holy grail to solve our problems.

I have no problem whatsoever with giving up beef. Too expensive, anyway.
Though I do absolutely love a gourmet hamburger...which I can't see giving up any time soon.

Who knows what causes Global Warming, lets just blame it on video games, rap music and gays.

Do you know the number one source of deliciousness?

Yep. This was what convinced me to go vegetarian.

NUMBER ONE! that means that if you're not going to use public transportation, at least
STOP CHOWING ON THE BEEF AND PORK

IF NOT FOR THE PLANET, DO IT FOR YOUR BOWELS.