Cows vs. Cars

I was thinking/kvetching about climate change a week or so back when it was over 100 degrees, and I wondered: Do cows contribute to global warming? It seems like I'd read something about this at some point in time, but you certainly never hear about it in the mainstream news. So I did a Google search, and lo and behold, I found this story--published by The UN, no less. It turns out that cattle do make a significant contribution (by way of methane--I know, nobody likes to think about cows tooting)--even more than cars!

It's pretty unbelievable the impact that raising cattle (and other livestock, for that matter) has on the environment. Check out just a few of these cheery statistics (circa 1989) from Diet for a New America by John Robbins:

Human population of United States: 243,000,000

Number of Human beings who could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U. S. livestock: 1,300,000,000

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by human beings: 20

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by livestock: 80

Percentage of oats grown in United States eaten by livestock: 95

Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on 1 acre of land: 20,000

Pounds of beef that can be produced on 1 acre of land: 165

Percentage of U.S. agricultural land used to produce beef: 56

Number of vegetarians who can be fed on the amount of land needed to feed 1 person consuming meat-based diet: 20

Number of people who could be adequately fed by the grain saved if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 60,000,000

Whether your a meat eater or a vegetarian, decreasing your animal intake can make difference--especially for the animals! Spend any amount of time on the PETA website, and you're bound to learn a lot.

I haven't eaten animals (including cows) in twenty years. I'm going to allow myself to feel just a little less guilty about driving Kira to swim lessons every day. (6.5 miles round trip--a bit much of a bike ride with an 8 year old still using training wheels!) With all the buzz about carbon emissions and going green, eating lower on the food chain seems like a pretty simple solution to me. Alright, I'll step down off my soapbox now. ; )

PS--I found this great book that Kira and I are reading together called, 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals. It's pretty darn cool. The author is Ingrid Newkirk.