Global warming is one of the most serious issue human beings have ever had to face. We are aware of the fatal consequences of this disaster, we know how to fix the problem and we know it will affect all life on the planet, human, animal, plant and even sea creatures. So why does it seem like instead of moving forward on this issue we are retreating to our old attitude and ways of think. This problem should take top priority, the choices made in the next 5 years possibly a decade, will affect every creature on the planet, the only thing in my opinion that could be worse than global warming, is nuclear war.
We the people, the average citizens need to get our politicians to stop the bikering and political rhetoric needs to end, you would think our politicians would be on the ball with this one major issue, their names will be remember in history as the men in women that were only concerned about election results, their paychecks, and their political clout. You would think they would be concerned that about the world wide famine global warming will cause, this will even affect these politicians directly, it won’t just be Africans dying of starvation and food related illnesses, this will cause the extinction of most creatures and the major crops that support our modern civilization. It scares me that these very men and women hold all the major cards in this situation and continue to deny or at the very least do nothing to combat this issue.
So what is going on this, this disaster started and reached a critical point within the average person’s life span, don’t we owe the following generations a planet that is in the same conditions as when we inherited it. The Global Warming disaster could be put on shoulders of the last three to four generations. You would think the very people that could make a direct and noticeable impact on climate change would do this for their children and grand children, and this in its self would be the main reason to act, sometimes I doubt that our “ELECTED” public servants are not even concerned about the people they represent and their quality of their life. It is bad enough the next few generations will be left with massive debt from this world wide recession, the never ending conflicts in the Middle East, and then we leave them a polluted and molested planet.
So why are our world leaders stalling? Is it because they are scared to be the bringer of bad news? “They don’t want to be the messenger that gets shot”. We the people should and could force the change; the system is to slow when it comes to almost any issue, and there is minimal time left when dealing with climate change. I think maybe a board or body which is not politaclly bound needs to be chosen not by the government but by the people. This group or board should have far reaching and long lasting powers let’s say the next decade; this way their attention will undivided and completely focused on the problem at hand not upcoming elections. I think this panel could be made of scientist from around the world we have the UN, and they have the structure and resources in place to implement this idea.
I think a major reason the average citizen has a what can I do attitude when it comes to global warming, is the fact that they feel they are only one person, and how could I the individual have a noticeable impact on climate change. What you need to consider is, if every person were to think this way, there will continue to be 6 billion people dumping out emissions as a group, this is the way we got into this disaster. I do not think anyone wants to see global warming go too far, especially if you have children or grandchildren, we all want the best for our loved ones.
Once these changes reach a certain limit we have hit the point of no return, the climate is out of our hands, it is over; ”runaway climate change”. We are all guilty as a group, almost every person in the developed world is guilty of complacency, doing nothing, which is the worst thing we could do. We need to blog about it, talk to seniors and especially our children. Consider the condition you want the planet to be in when we pass it down to the next generation? We all wish for the best, but good intentions is not enough, It is up to us the individual to set the tone when dealing with global warming.
Each family should raise their kids to have a new respect for the environment and the dangers of climate change. You could make recycling a fun competition, each week try to shrink your garbage output, and increase your recycling, reward your children for these actions, if you make it fun, kids will go for it. If we set these trends yearly in their lives, then this mentality will stay with them in later life. We can talk the talk about being environmentally friendly, but when our politicians see that we have matched our actions to our words they will either shape up or be voted out. Politicians will follow public opinion, if the majority of citizens all want the same changes, we will be successful. It seems North Americans have forgotten we have a voice and the vote, we live in a Democratic country, and if we ban together, and find a unified voice real change can and will happen.
So what can the average person do in everyday life to reduce their, environmental footprint? What if I would like to make a direct impact and difference in this situation? According to the T.V, the media, commercials, and the government I would need to purchase things like: hybrid cars, new energy efficient products, purchase carbon off set credits, and make sure I by the most expensive green items, purchase, purchase, purchase. If you don’t have the cash borrow some. Am I the only one that finds this ridiculous, this is how we got into these problems, we consume too much.
Let’s talk about realistic things that each one of us can do to start combating global warming, I know driving and flying are nessicary evils, we all have to go to work. So here is a relatively easy way to help the planet, you may think this sounds ridicules at first, even silly I know I did, but it is true. The third most effective thing an individual can do to make a direct impact on climate change, is cut back on the amount of beef we ingest. If one were to look at the full process of turning cattle into food they would realize how much, damage this food source does to our planet.
Let’s look at the full picture of getting beef to your plate, consider the steps required, transporation, power plants, refrigerated factories, chemical plants, logistics, and many other sources of green house gasses. If you were to only look at cattle farms you would see that just raising the cattle contributes to 10% of the planets warming effect each year. As opposed to Shell the energy company, which contributes to 30 percent of the planets warming effect and they are an oil and gas producer. The fact that beef is so commonly used and has a relatively low cost more and more families are forced to rely on beef, Look at all the dollar menu deals in the fast food sector, they are based around cheap beef.
Cattle herds are the third biggest producer of methane gas on the planet. One third of planet’s agricultural land is used for grazing these massive herds of cattle instead of grow crops to supplement beef. These herds also directly add one third of the planets methane into the environment annually. Methane is considered one of the more destructive green house gases; it is 20 times more dangerous when it comes to warming the planet then carbon dioxide. The reason for this is due to the continual burping of the cattle, roughly 90 of the methane is released this way, and the remaining 10 percent is from cow manure. There are 1.5 to 2 billion cows on the planet and this is always increasing. Cattle herds are one of the major contributors to acid rain because of massive amounts of urine these cow release. Now I know these are hard facts to believe but I have researched this information from multiple sources. The current trend of beef, beef, beef is just one more unsustainable thing we humans rely on which has catastrophic consequences.
Let’s consider the steps required to get beef onto your plate, this will also give you an idea of the impact on the environment. First the cattle needs to be shipped in a truck or train to the slaughter house, from there they are slaughtered and processed this step also requires massive amount of fresh water. Then this meat is shipped by truck or train to a butcher shop, in some cases it is shipped to another packaging plant, were it is packaged in plastic and Styrofoam, which also comes from a factory and more transportation is required. From there the beef is shipped to the grocery store, were you drive your car to get your fresh beef.
Look at all the natural resources used in this process, then add the methane gasses the cattle release, this will give you get an idea of the impact on the environment, most of this damage is permanent. Here is a disturbing fact; to get a 16 oz steak on your plate 15 000 liters of freshwater will be used in the processing of the beef, then add the water the cow consumes while alive and the massive amount of feed these herds require.
What I find troubling is the industrialized scale we use to produce our meats, this is the reason for the high rate of contamination and ecolie outbreaks. Another reason for contamination is the meat from thousands of cows are mixed together, in a single batch so one sick cows can cause massive of amounts of meat to become potentially deadly. Just watch the news millions of pounds of beef are recalled more and more frequently because of bacteria, and diseases, which is usually discovered after people mostly children, or seniors contract an illness from the beef. By this time the tainted products are already in thousands of homes and in most grocery stores.
One reason for the ecolie contamination found in our crops such as spinach is due to the fact that industrial sized cattle farms are located in the same area as we grow our vegetables and crops. It is a proven fact that the runoff or manure from these cattle farms contaminates the other food sources nearby and can also contaminate ground water, the very wells we humans get drinking water from.
Year after year the average North American consumes more beef due to the low cost and the popularity of the meat at fast food restaurants. Mc Donald’s is the largest buyer of beef in North America. One estimate is by 2040 the worlds consumption of beef will double. The amount of cattle we have on the planet is already unsustainable. The local trend in Canada already consists of major flooding and then drought all in the same season in Canada’s most productive farming regions. How can we double the amount of cattle without having a collapse of their water and food sources? Where will the herds go, how could they be feed and where will the fresh water come from?
In conclusion there are productive and realistic ways for each individual to reduce their green house gas output (environmental footprint) without purchasing every new energy efficient green product on the market. It can be rather simple, and your life does not need to be drastically changed. By simply reducing your consumption of beef: your health would improve, due to the lack of red meats. Don’t forget if enough people made this same change the demand on cattle would shrink, we would free up large chunks of land, produce less Methane Gas, and our consumption of precious fresh water would drop. It is up to you and me to help set the trends that will help save our planet, and create a brighter and healthier planet and future for the generations to come.
