By Nathan Fiala
Notes
Until recently, however, the foods we eat had gotten a pass in the discussion.
- Yet according to a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), our diets and, specifically, the meat in them cause more greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and the like-to spew into the atmosphere than either transportation or industry
- The FAO report found that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of "CO2-equivalent" greenhouse gases the world produces every year
- Raising animals also requires a large amount of feed per unit of body weight
- Improving waste management and farming practices would certainly reduce the "carbon footprint" of beef production
- Eating locally produced food, for instance, can reduce the need for transport-though food inefficiently shipped in small batches on trucks from nearby farms can turn out to save surprisingly little in greenhouse emissions
- The take home lesson is clear" we ought to give careful thought to diet and its consequences for the planet if we are serious about limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases
- Annual beef consumption per capita varies from 120 pounds in Argentina and 92 pounds in the U.S. to only a pound in the small eastern European country of Moldova; the average is about 22 pounds per person per year. The colors of the countries and distortions of their usual shapes reflect the amount by which beef consumption per capita varies from the world average
- The greenhouse gas emissions from producing various foods can be appreciated by comparing them with the emissions from a gasoline powered passenger car that gets 27 miles per gallon
- Greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, for instance-trap solar energy and warm the earth's surgace
- Quantities of greenhouse gases are often expressed as the amount of CO2 that would have the same global-warming potential: their CO2 equivalent
- Worldwide meat production (beef, chicken and pork) emits more atmospheric greenhouse gases than do all forms of global transportation or industrial processes
- Only energy production generates more greenhouse gases than does raising livestock for food
- World beef production is increasing at a rate of about 1 percent a year, in part because of population growth but also because of greater per capita demand in many countries
Summary
There has always been an issue with food not being good for you such as burgers but there seems to be more to them than we had thought. During a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), our diets and specifically, the meat in them cause more greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and the like-to spew into the atmosphere than either transportation or industry. They had found that there happened to be huge containments of greenhouse gas within the meat (CO2) which is seen to be a problem. Apparently according to the FAO report, current productions levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of "CO2-equivalent" greenhouse gases the world produces every year. The main realization that we must figure out is that we need to be more careful in thought when it comes to diet and its consequences for the planet if we are serious about limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases. Unknowingly it is found that the worldwide meat production emits more atmospheric greenhouse gases than do all forms of global transportation or industrial processes.
Opinion
I have never found this as even a real thing since I have never heard of this at all to be an issue. I was not even aware that food like hamburgers are known to contain the green house gas Carbon Dioxide within them. I now know to find it as a concern that this is real because so much people eat burgers every single day and with the exposure to that many would release so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as it is clearly stated that between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of "CO2-equivalent" greenhouse gases the world produces every year. So burgers alone have been such a big contributer to the problem as we can only blame ourselves for buying these types of meals instead of eating organic food materials instead. We need to eat more organic food rather than processed food that would just lead to more trouble and something else we can blame ourselves. A change in meal proves that it does not only help ourselves but the planet as well if we start a change slowly. I believe that this should be publicized as I'm pretty sure nobody else has heard of this issue at all and no one is aware that they are unknowingly hurting the planet even more.