Wednesday 9 November 2022

Where's the Beef?

George Monbiot points out that livestock farming currently consumes 50% of the world's carbon budget. In spite of this, rearing animals for food has hardly been mentioned at any of the 26 climate summits (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/09/leaders-cop27-livestock-farming-carbon-budget-governments). Monbiot notes that the two most obviously effective ways of preventing catastrophic climate breakdown are:- a) to leave fossil fuels in the ground and b) reduce animal farming. Livestock have, however, only been mentioned in three of the 26 agreements. The only action agreed was improved management with no mention of any reductions. Monbiot, not unreasonably concludes that the power of the petrochemical and farming industries is such, that attempts to limit their products have been largely unmentionable. Perhaps, this is why they have been so well-represented at Cop meetings?

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