Green Cuisine?
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
by Dr. Thaddeus Jacobs
Did you know that going vegetarian reduces your carbon footprint far more drastically than any other lifestyle choices? From production of feed crop fertilizers and the manufacture of veterinary medications to refrigeration and delivery of the end product, mass produced animal foods require tremendous petroleum input. Besides extensive, multi-level carbon inputs involved with animal agriculture, there is a far more important aspect of the carbon equation often overlooked.
Methane gas, 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2, is a massive byproduct of animal agriculture. It may be the greatest human-caused contributor to the greenhouse effect and threat to our global environment. Many scientists and long-term supporters of the global warming theory fear too much attention is placed on CO2 emissions. Unlike CO2, which has risen in the atmosphere a few percentage points over naturally occurring CO2 levels, humans have fortified atmospheric methane drastically, approximately 150% above naturally occurring levels. (more…)