| Viewpoint - Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Letter: Meat production has big role in warming
I was very impressed with Leonardo DiCaprio's powerful documentary "The 11th Hour."
The film depicts the devastating impacts of global warming, including droughts, hurricanes, and flooding of coastal areas. It features interviews with the brightest minds on our planet about the causes of this man-made environmental crisis and possible solutions.
A powerful solution was suggested last November in a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The report found that meat production accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. That's more than automobiles.
Carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures and combustion of fossil fuels to operate farm machinery, trucks, refrigeration equipment, factory farms, and slaughterhouses. Much more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are released from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste cesspools, respectively.
The good news is that each of us can do our part to reduce global warming on our next trip to the supermarket. More details are available at www.CoolYourDiet.org.
Malcolm Davidson
Encinal Avenue, Menlo Park
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