UN Report: Livestock one of top 2 or 3 contributors to most serious environmental problems

[jilln]

Summary: This report aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation. The assessment is based on the most recent and complete data available, taking into account direct impacts, along with the impacts of feed crop agriculture required for livestock production.
The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
Livestock’s contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale and its potential contribution to their solution is equally large. The impact is so significant that it needs to be addressed with urgency. Major reductions in impact could be achieved at reasonable cost.

[The2ndWheel]

1. Now wait just a damn minute

Are you implying that our attempts at molding a species or two, increasing at the DNA level, in a direction that is designed to benefit only us, has adverse affects? Is that what is trying to be said here?

I don't buy it. That would mean our entire way of life is the problem. That would mean that we all can't have everything. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing it.

Look, we have to control and design nature to fit us. God told us we could, and science gives us the ability to do what God told us. If that's not validation, I don't know what is. Nature is our enemy, and we have to destroy it to save ourselves, or else we're all going to die at some point.

[kestrel91316]

3. "That would mean that we all can't have everything." BINGO.

[The2ndWheel]

4. Try telling that to everyone else though

The wealthy want and can get everything. The middle class has as much right to anything the wealthy have. The poor have a small voice, so portions of the wealthy and middle classes speak for them, and so the poor have as much right to anything the middle class has, who in turn have as much right to anything the wealthy have. So we're stuck in this ever increasing loop that has everyone chasing what isn't there, to a destination that nobody seems to know the location of. Everyone wants their temporary fix of happiness. Maybe we can make a pill for it.

[jilln]

5. Man vs. Nature IS one of the 8 or so different plot lines we learned in high school English...

Only when it seems like we're winning, we're really losing.

[MuseRider]

2. We need to return

to more responsible agriculture.

[dysfunctional press]

6. i'm reeasonably certain that i will be eating steak for the rest of my lifetime...

let the next generation figure it out after i'm gone, if that's what they'd like to do.

[jilln]

8. What's the point of that commentary?

[dysfunctional press]

9. things aren't going to change much in the next couple of decades, anyway.

too many of us enjoy our steaks.

[nam78_two]

10. Change in what sense?

Some consumer choices may end up being forced on us you know...

(Oh and I don't mean by "evil" govt regulation).

[dysfunctional press]

15. you tell me....i said that they AREN'T going to change much...

at least not in my remaining lifetime.

[nam78_two]

17. Well you said they aren't going to change

I couldn't get if you were speaking with regard to climate change.. Are you saying tat there will be no noticeable changes in our lives due to climate change?

[jilln]

12. And too many of us enjoy our Hummers, and our 4,000 sq ft homes.

So are you saying you don't care, you're lazy, you're happy to let your (and everyone else's kids) deal with the destruction, or what?

[dysfunctional press]

14. i don't have kids, and i enjoy red meat.

and plan to continue eating it as long as it's available.

which i predict will be for quite awhile yet- no matter how much "scary" propaganda the vege-nazis want to fabricate.

[jilln]

16. Vege-nazi?

I didn't write the article.

[NickB79]

13. I seriously doubt that

Unless you have your own ranch, or you only live another 10 yrs or so. Between global warming and energy depletion, farming for meat production will become extremely expensive within the next decade. It's hard to grow a lot of meat when your fields are hot and dry, diesel starts costing $5/gal, and fertilizer prices start skyrocketing.

[Beaverhausen]

7. Proud to be vegetarian

20 plus years! :hi:

[nam78_two]

11. Too late..Oh well no Rec. :-/ but here is a kick

:kick:

[ironflange]

18. Cow Farts = Global Warming

http://www.show.me.uk/site/news/STO873.html