Comment Log Display

After reading the Climate Change Draft Scoping Plan - a framework
for change, I am pleased that the state leadership is committed
for the state of California to once again play a leading role in
addressing global warming and climate change.

However, I am puzzled by the fact that the contribution of the
livestock sector to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is
largely watered down. For example, on your web-page, Air Pollution
and What You Can Do/Fifty Things You Can Do/, I could not even
find one thing related to the benefits of keeping a plant-based or
vegetarian diet.

I question the presentation of the pie-chart on page 7 of the
Plan. According to a report published by the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization in 2006(1)(2), the livestock sector
worldwide generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in
CO2 equivalent than transportation. When emissions from land use
and land use change are included, the livestock sector accounts
for 9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but
produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse
gases. It generates 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide,
which has 296 times Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of
this comes from manure. And it accounts for respectively 37 percent
of all human-induced methane (23 times GWP of CO2), which is
largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and 64
percent of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.
Producing one pound of meat requires 16 pounds of grains, and much
energy is required for animal food preparation and transportation.
Therefore, I would appreciate if you could recalculate the data to
include all these effects of the livestock sector, and regenerate
the pie-chart on page 7. I feel that only in this way the
contribution of the livestock industry to global warming is
correctly presented.

The 37 million residents of California consume a huge quantity of
meat per day that results in a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. If
a large part or all of our residents adopt plant-based diet, the
greenhouse gas emissions will be cut tremendously. Besides,
converting to a plant-based diet is an action that every honored
citizen can take, with no requirement of new technology that yet
to be invented. Nobel Prize laureate, the chair of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), plead for people
around the world to tame their carnivorous impulses and stay away
from meat in order to save our planet(3). And, experts promoted a
plant-based diet not only to fight global warming, but to benefit
public health as well(4). 
We are at an urgent time, so urgent actions are necessary. Please
revise the Plan to more meaningfully reflect the contribution of
the livestock industry to global warming, and to include plans to
promote plant-based diet. The state leadership can take bold
actions. And the following list includes a few examples
     •	To reduce and eventually eliminate subsidies to the
livestock industry. It makes no sense to use taxpayer’s money to
support the meat industry which generates lots of pollution and
causes health problems. Instead, the money can be used to support
green food or organic food to benefit the environment and people’s
health.
     •	To educate people the benefits of plant-based diet by
running advertisement or by other means.
     •	To mandate that school lunch provides options for
plant-based meals.

References:
1.http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html 
(Livestock a major threat to environment)
2.http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm (LIVESTOCK'S
LONG SHADOW)
3.http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIVBkZpOUA9Hz3Xc2u-61mDlrw0Q
 (Lifestyle changes can curb climate change: IPCC chief)
4.http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/12/global.warming.diet.ap/index.html
  (Experts promote the global warming diet)

Original File Name:

Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2008-07-28 23:09:07