2008 Woodie Awards
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Meat eaters, not gas guzzlers, to blame for global warming, speaker claims
by Mark Noack | Freelance reporter |
"Even more important than switching from a SUV to a Camry, is switching to a vegan diet because you'll be saving far more resources," he said.
The process of bringing meat from other countries for American consumption is rife with inefficiency, Brook said. In a weight-for-weight comparison, he said to produce and import one pound of beef from outside America it takes about 16 pounds of grain for cattle feed, in addition to thousands of gallons of water and large amounts of petroleum-based fertilizer and fuel.
"Using fossil fuels for the meat industry is a large carbon footprint," Brook said. "It's the number one cause of greenhouse gases."
In response to a question from journalism major Josh Welch on whether seafood and dairy are as harmful to the environment as the meat industry, Brook didn't hesitate in his answer.
A vegetarian himself for the last 26 years, Brook said that all large-scale animal products - whether beef, pork, poultry, seafood or dairy - have that same destructive consequence on the environment.
"If people were to drastically reduce their consumption of meat, we would actually see an impact in global warming," Brook said. "We would see the polar icecaps stop melting."
Brook used graphic descriptions of what the global community is already facing because reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are not being made. Species of animals and plants that could have undiscovered applications are being endangered or going extinct because of global warming, he said. He said that last December the Indian island of Lohachara in the Bay of Bengal disappeared from rising ocean water, and all the inhabitants had to be evacuated.
"Global warming is the most important scientific, cultural and moral issue of our times," Brook said. "Unless you're George Bush or Michael Crichton, you can't deny global warming."
The process of bringing meat from other countries for American consumption is rife with inefficiency, Brook said. In a weight-for-weight comparison, he said to produce and import one pound of beef from outside America it takes about 16 pounds of grain for cattle feed, in addition to thousands of gallons of water and large amounts of petroleum-based fertilizer and fuel.
"Using fossil fuels for the meat industry is a large carbon footprint," Brook said. "It's the number one cause of greenhouse gases."
In response to a question from journalism major Josh Welch on whether seafood and dairy are as harmful to the environment as the meat industry, Brook didn't hesitate in his answer.
A vegetarian himself for the last 26 years, Brook said that all large-scale animal products - whether beef, pork, poultry, seafood or dairy - have that same destructive consequence on the environment.
"If people were to drastically reduce their consumption of meat, we would actually see an impact in global warming," Brook said. "We would see the polar icecaps stop melting."
Brook used graphic descriptions of what the global community is already facing because reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are not being made. Species of animals and plants that could have undiscovered applications are being endangered or going extinct because of global warming, he said. He said that last December the Indian island of Lohachara in the Bay of Bengal disappeared from rising ocean water, and all the inhabitants had to be evacuated.
"Global warming is the most important scientific, cultural and moral issue of our times," Brook said. "Unless you're George Bush or Michael Crichton, you can't deny global warming."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Dan Brook
posted 4/18/07 @ 3:25 PM PST
I'm getting used to being misquoted, but it is odd for a journalist to get his facts confused and then "correct" the speaker regarding those mistakes. (Continued…)
Peggy Hakanson
posted 4/18/07 @ 7:54 PM PST
It's wonderful that the students at this school are taking on the issue of global warming. They couldn't get a better speaker, in my opinion, than Dan Brook. (Continued…)
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