Climate Change Reality Checks for Locavores and Omnivores

by Stephanie Ernst · 2009-07-29 14:59:00 UTC
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It's possible that those of you not tapped into the world of Facebook and Twitter (yes, there are people who don't use Facebook and Twitter, my friends) have been missing a few stories here and there. So let me fill you in.

First, the Ezra Klein piece at Washington Post, which I've seen posted by no fewer than 15 people today: "Gut Check: The Meat of the Problem." It's unfortunate that after all this time and all this evidence, it's still news-worthy whenever someone in the mainstream makes the connection between eating animals and climate change. I don't expect Klein to go vegan anytime soon (if ever), and I've been periodically frustrated by the wall he always seems to hit while contemplating his food choices, but this article is circulating like mad, to the satisfaction of some and the displeasure of others (this panicking National Review writer not only tells us how aghast he is at Klein's reduce-your-meat-consumption commentary, but also proclaims veganism and vegetarianism both to be "immoral").

One aspect of Klein's piece that does annoy me still is his "livestock"=meat premise. A few articles on this topic, even in the mainstream, have done a good job of pointing out that it's not just a "meat" problem--that replacing flesh with cheese and cream dishes, for example, isn't the solution. Klein fails to make that point. But what does Klein do that I love? Call out mainstream enviro organizations (such as Natural Resources Defense Council--Klein mistakenly wrote "National," but this is the group he meant) that have irresponsibly refused to deal with and publicize this enormously important issue.

And on a similar topic, there's "The Locavore Myth" in Forbes by James E. McWilliams. The conclusion to his article? "If you want to make a statement, ride your bike to the farmer's market. If you want to reduce greenhouse gases, become a vegetarian." Or much better, of course, go vegan.

FoodWatch chart (featured previously in Researchers: Even "Organically Raised" Cows Are a "Climate Bomb"):

Stephanie Ernst wrote the original Animal Rights blog at Change.org until December 2009. She can now be found at Animal Rights & AntiOppression.
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