Recent media buzz (see second source below) claimed the newest Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPPC) suggested consumers eat less meat in order to curb climate change. The report < link > focused on land use and land use change, it didn’t tell consumers to eat less meat.
Frank Mitloehner, UC Davis, says by focusing on eating less meat, consumers are being misled on what’s really attributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Going vegan for one year is half the impact of one transatlantic flight” – Frank Mitloehner
Source: Drovers, August 8, 2019. Link. Agriculture doesn’t just produce all the food we eat, they also are one of the two sectors of society that actually can sequester carbon, or that can reduce greenhouse gases,” Mitloehner says. “Forestry and agriculture are the only two sectors that can reduce greenhouse gases, store these greenhouse gases in soils and or plants. In the United States, agriculture and forestry store more carbon than they release.”
Source: How our diets impact climate change — and what we can do about it, NBC Better, August 12, 2019. Link.
INSIGHTS: Animal health pros can play more offense on these issues. Remember, agriculture IS a solution to reducing greenhouse gases. Plus, facts documented by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prove the U.S is a leader worldwide when it comes to agriculture’s impact on climate change.