I promise you that I have no real intention to sell you anything, to influence what you put on your plate this evening. However, for the sake of argument, I will do my best imitation, from the perspective of a science-minded environmentalist. It shouldn't be difficult; I think we can all acknowledge that the production of meat for food is particularly unkind to the environment. This study developed a simulation model of a cattle farming system to assess its efficiency, finding it takes 6 – 9 times more feed to produce an equivalent quantity of North-American Hereford beef. Meat is not just energy intensive product, it's also a messy one. At the moment, nearly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions are from pastoral agriculture, and this is a figure that can only grow as meat consumption rapidly increases across the developing world. Modelling has been used to increase our understanding of the historical impact of agriculture on the climate change, and how that will change in the future as the farmed surface area grows. It doesn't look like it will be a positive one, and it's clear that we all need to reduce our meat intake.
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| Contributions to the greenhouse gas emissions of pastoral farming, reproduced from McMichael et al (2007). People always tell me it's mostly cow's farting and burping, but it turns to be a load of bull plop. |
At EURENSSA 2015, on order from it's student organisers, meat was off the menu from day one. For me it was a pleasant surprise. It had probably been years since I'd gone a day without eating flesh, and I regularly eat a carton of eggs in one sitting, but it did feel good in a way I can't really explain. I wasn't alone in the lack of complaint; the majority of its participants, students in the environmental sciences, were keen environmentalists for whom veganism is a central tenet of their approach to life.
Clearly then, some consider it very important to eat green. Given what you're studying, and what I'm sure you know about the environmental impact of raising livestock, do you think it's possible to reconcile meat consumption with environmentalism? Does one have to be vegan or vegetarian to be able to call themselves an environmentalist? Do you even consider yourself to be an environmentalist? Let me know in the comment section below.
* I'm secretly hoping you clicked through randomly, and so didn't see any fish.
Yesss! Thank you for the opening up the debate even wider, it's always great to see more interest in this area. I will be posting about dietary choices this week as a matter of fact!
ReplyDeleteAll my posted recipes are vegetarian or vegan, however, I do still call myself a meat-eater, as I eat meat about once a fortnight. And, yes, I still consider myself to be an environmentalist!
The difference, for me, is that I don't see the meat as the centre points of my meals. I used to make all of the recipes I posted for the COP21 Challenge with meat every time (except the chocolate tart!). It was upon coming to university and being poor, that I realised I couldn't really afford to eat meat any more... So, instead, I switched to trying out beans, pulses and including more vegetables, and realised that, as long as you season your food well, there is virtually little difference - except reducing your carbon footprint by potentially 40-50% according to http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/food-carbon-footprint-diet So, I went from a bit of a "economic semi-vegetarian" to an "environmental semi-vegetarian".
However, the really interesting stats that I have come across, upon research, is that by omitting just beef and lamb from your diet, you can reduce your carbon footprint significantly. Weirdly, there seems to be little comparison between No Red Meat, Vegetarian and Vegan diets... Although, I am looking into this further to be sure! Regardless, it is commonly known that the environment impact of ruminant animals is great, and is exacerbated by our wanderlust with burgers and steaks.
I personally only eat meat if somebody prepares a meal for me with meat, or if the meat is in the reduced section (as it is about to expire), or if I'm really stressed out and just pick up a sandwich from the shop quickly. I suppose, to categorise myself, this makes me a "flexitarian".
So, to answer your open question, I do eat meat sometimes and do consider myself an environmentalist. However, I do consciously think of my environmental impact when I am cooking, and am always looking for vegetarian recipes more than anything else... So, I think as long as you're always looking to reduce your footprint with food, and aren't relying on meat at every meal, then I think you can call yourself an environmentalist.
(Despite this the more I write my blog, the more I feel that I am never doing enough!!! Yet, if everybody reduced their meat consumption by at least one or two days a week - the impact would be gigantic!!!)
Thank you for the Durban twist idea, I will definitely be giving it a whirl!! What's your personal view on meat consumption and environmentalism? You seem a bit unsure!
You're right, I'm really not sure. On one hand, I do want to be a good environmentalist. On the other, I'm not yet willing to give up the luxuries of our modern lifestyle. Not just the meaty diet, but also the long, hot showers, the energy hungry appliances, the international air travel. I'm not prepared to live a life of asceticism, but I don't think it's right for me to make *just* enough effort to claim that I'm "doing my bit for the environment".
DeleteThat said, I am currently trying to reduce my meat intake. When eating out, I'll choose something veggie wherever I have the option, though it's not for entirely for environmental reasons, nor animal welfare, nor health. In a way it's an arbitrary decision (whimsy is the decisive factor in almost any choice I make), but if I can contribute to the gigantic impact you speak of then so much the better.
If I'm being honest, I found this post quite hard to read. I'm that person who claims to care about the environment whilst still eating meat, most days in fact. In my (weak) defense, I live my parents and eat what is cooked for me; I ate vegetarian meals regularly when living alone, and often order vegetarian meals when out at restaurants. I could easily live without meat, but not without vegetables, so could happily be vegetarian, but have never found a reason which I truly believe in to be so. This post has made me question my ethics, and I have already agreed with my parents that we will have vegetarian meals regularly from now on. A small step I know, but it's a start, right?
ReplyDeleteAfter considering myself as an environmentalist for a number of years this post has made me question that and I think I haven't been doing enough to be able to call myself one....I am definitely going to reduce my meat intake and try harder!
ReplyDeleteI think we can reconcile meat consumption with environmentalism – a good example is if you raise the animals for slaughter yourself as pigs and chickens will eat leftover food, additionally pigs are good at clearing ground and chickens at creating compost. I think I would definitely struggle to do this! Yet don't know if I can give up meat completely, I like a nice burger every now and again. My thoughts are if you only eat organic and free range meat say once a week that you could call yourself an environmentalist..... as long as you were combining this with other efforts....
Being a vegan or vegetarian doesn't automatically qualify you as an environmentalist if that is all you do - I know some vegans who don't recycle!
I really like that you didn't use the words "vegan" and "vegetarian" at the start - those words are too limiting and people think of them as being all-or-nothing.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people are being more mindful about what they eat, but making choices for themselves about how to structure their diet without necessarily sticking to the "rules" of veganism or vegetarianism. Some people only eat seasonal. Some only organic. Others only locally grown produce. Each of those diets are somewhat environmentally friendly. I don't eat any meat, eggs or milk but it pisses me off it someone makes me feel guilty for eating a prawn!