Paul McCartney Launches New Food Campaign to Curb Carbon Emissions...Meat Free Monday!

Who gives off more gas?  A vegan in an SUV or a meat eater in a hybrid?  Okay we are not talking gas from the bean and veggie consuming driver, we are talking about Greenhouse gas!  The answer is...the vegan in their huge, gas guzzling SUV still gives off less gas than the meat eater.  It seems that just one day a week spent not eating meat can reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by 20%!

I am sure you have heard all of the jokes, cows and their um..."emissions".  Well it seems that livestock's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions or GHG can be 18%!  Compare that to the 13% of total global emissions from transport.  This information comes from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization which, I don't know about you, but I am not a big believer in.  Remember the  Oil for Food fiasco from 1993 to 2003?  You can read the UN's response to this criticism HERE. 

Still, there is a huge body of information out there that says that  carbon emissions are contributing to climate change.  Of course there are also scientists that say human contribution is not a causal factor in climate change and there are some that say climate change is a myth completely.  What do you believe? 

It seems like things like carbon offsets and doing things to reduce our emissions can only be a good thing right?  Some would argue that the costs associated with reducing, taxing and offsetting those carbon emissions, without total assurance that it is necessary, is a cost America does not need to pay.  Across the ocean, though, it is a different story. 



Sir Paul McCartney (along with two of his daughters Stella and Mary) has launched a new food campaign called Meat Free Monday.  He is asking people to go meat free on Mondays help slow climate change. 

Environmental group Greenpeace estimates that every kg of beef we eat represents roughly the same GHG emissions as flying 100km and the group, Compassion in World Farming, estimates that if the average UK household halved its consumption of meat, this would cut more emissions than if they cut their
car use in half.

So what do you say?  "Where's the Beef" or where's the need?