HOLLYROSE.ECO

Regenerative Sustainability

Looking for something?

#GONEGREEN2016 | DAY 223 | EWC X UNDP COLLAB | MODEL4GREENLIVING | WHY MEATLESS MONDAY ISN’T ENOUGH

Day 223 / 365

A number of the writers from the Ethical Writers Coalition and I were asked by the United Nations Development Programme to write some pieces sharing the efforts of COP 21, The Paris Agreement, COP 22 and the issues with Climate Change pose to our planet and its inhabitants.

Throughout the events of COP22 which commenced last Monday in Marrakech, I’ll be sharing the work of my fellow writers, following my piece for the coalitions collection which was posted last Sunday on COP 21 (HERE).

The words below are by Renee Peters who is a vegan, activist, environmentalist, model and blogger buddy of mine. She blogs about various environmental issues on her blog which you can follow HERE. Below is her piece as part of the collaboration, originally posted on her blog, which she kindly allowed me to repost here. Below are her words.

__________________________________________

I became vegan 3 years ago, after 4 years as a vegetarian, because I care deeply for the environment and wildlife. The decision arose from a startling awareness of the need for a drastic change in my consumption habits and society as a whole. I realized, in the beginning, that I could make a positive impact by changing the way I consumed each day. I no longer use plastic bags, stopped purchasing products with biologically harmful chemicals, boycott products with palm oil, and gave up fast unethical fashion. The most important change I made, however, was with food. I realized that, by giving up animal products for good, I could make a positive change, 3 times a day, 365 days a year.

Despite these personal lifestyle choices, the motivation for environmental progress on a broader scale lags sorrily behind. The little things that we, as individuals, have been doing to help mitigate global warming are simply not enough. Meatless Monday, an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays (1), while commendable for participants, is not enough to neutralize the massive scale of environmental damage already done. According to the UNDP, “The planet’s surface temperature has increased an average of 0.85 °C from 1880-2012, and during the past year, measurements taken across the globe during various periods have reported abnormally high temperatures.” July 2016 for example, was the hottest month on record – ever (2).” Carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that usually comes to mind with regard to climate change, is not the greatest gaseous emission causing rising temperatures. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Methane is even worse for global warming than carbon dioxide is. “For example, over a 100-year time horizon, one metric ton of methane and 21 metric tons of carbon dioxide trap an equal amount of heat in the atmosphere (3).” If methane has 21 times more global warming potential (GWP) than carbon dioxide, we need much stricter regulations on animal agricultural industries and innovative approaches, such as permaculture, to make the industry cleaner (4). Industry responds to the demands of the people, therefore, society as a whole must insist on greater change. Giving up meat once a week is not enough. To safely limit the increase in global mean temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, we must commit to eating less meat every day.

While intended agricultural practices of the past century were designed to enrich people’s lives by ensuring adequate nutrition, warmth, and a dignified living space. Such practices were expanded and widely adopted by developing countries who gladly subsidised their establishment in the name of progress. In the second half of the 20th century, however, scientists concluded that many of these same industries are major contributors to environmental destruction and contamination (5), and not the saving grace once hoped for. Industrialized animal agriculture is a prime example. “Domestic livestock such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels produce large amounts of methane as part of their normal digestive process. Also, when animals’ manure is stored or managed in lagoons or holding tanks, methane is produced. Globally, the Agriculture sector is the primary source of methane emissions (6).” 
Con’t On Renee’s Blog HERE
PHOTOS: 1, 2

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to my mailing list

@HOLLYROSE.ECO