animal agriculture position paper – Climate Healers

animal agriculture position paper – Climate Healers
— Read on climatehealers.org/the-science/animal-agriculture-position-paper/

FYI, at least 87% of greenhouse gas emissions annually are produced by the animal agricultural industry!

Although CO2 levels are important in the global warming discussion, and human burning of fossil fuels is the biggest contributor to CO2 production, it’s only one of many gases which is causing global warming and climate change. For example methane is 25x more potent than CO2 in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Nitrous oxide, NO, is 300x more potent than CO2. The most important one however is methane, and we barely talk about it. 

Why don’t we talk about it? 

Because the animal agriculture industry is by far the greatest producer of methane.

Why is methane the most important one to discuss?

Because it is the one we can immediately do something about and reducing it will have an immediate positive impact on lowering both methane, CO2 and even NO levels, reducing global warming and maybe stopping what is turning into runaway climate change. We accomplish that by stopping producing and eating meat and dairy. Or at least, drastically reduce it.

It is insane to me for there to be discussions about measures we can take to address climate change and reducing production and consumption of animal products is not at the top of the list. Why would you not want to do the simplest and fastest thing to fix a problem? 

You can recycle “till the cows come home” (excuse the pun), but it is a drop in the ocean when it comes to reversing climate change.

In fact, by reducing fossil fuel burning and not addressing methane, global warming will actually get worse. In addition to CO2, burning fossil fuels also produces SO2, sulfur dioxide, which actually has a cooling effect in the atmosphere. It’s a toxic compound and causes lots of health issues, but it is at least mitigating some of the CO2 effects.

And in addition, reducing animal product consumption will significantly improve our health and we will end a system of torture and violence which annually kills upwards if 90 billion land animals alone, let alone the aquatic life which we are also devastating. Karma is a bitch.

Previous accepted estimates of greenhouse gas production by feeding, raising and eating animals was 15%. The linked paper is quite compelling and explains where that figure 87% of greenhouse gas emissions annually comes from.

I wake up in the late hours of sleep, as many others often do as well, with thoughts whirling in my head. My kids, practice, patients, life, health, home projects, did I completely close the fridge… This last night it was that I hadn’t actually answered the question I posed in the previous day’s blog (and I was also thinking of a sick patient).

If the vaccine is not as effective against the Omicron variant, why take it? 

To that question, you could also add:

Why take it if you can still get sick and still infect others?

In a nutshell, it’s all about not getting sick, avoiding complications and slowing down this virus allowing our healthcare system to keep up and minimize the disease burden people experience now, and in the future as well as minimize death.

Although in most, this virus and its various permutations cause little to no symptoms, but not in all. Many still get really sick and miss work and school. Some become hospitalized and some die. Some also experience long-term, and for someone, likely permanent disabilities.

If you can avoid it, you do not want to catch this virus.

As far as it’s efficacy is concerned, yes the vaccines are less effective against the Omicron strain but it is still very effective.

• 60-80% effective against contracting covid at all
• 90% effective against hospitalization and even more against death, especially if boosted.
• Very effective against significant symptoms.
• Lowers the duration and degree of contagiousness.

And keep in mind that we are in better shape than those who can only get China’s Sinovac or Russia’s Sputnik vaccines, which are only 30% effective against Omicron.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, all the other variants, against which the vaccines are even more effective, are still present in our communities and the vaccines are even more effective against those.

We are approaching 10 billion vaccine doses worldwide and there is ample safety and efficacy data out there.

So, please get vaccinated. They are effective and safe but they are not perfect so keep doing all those other things we know protect us and everyone else.

Stay safe and be well.

AC