Meat is Murder

Image: www.epa.gov/Region7/water/cafo/images/cattle2.jpg

But not (only) in the way you think.

New York Times food columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman explores the environmental effects of meat in this Sunday's Week in Review section.

A few of the most compelling quotes from the article:

"livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases - more than transportation."

"if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan - a Camry, say - to the ultra-efficient Prius. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days."

"Americans eat about the same amount of meat as we have for some time, about eight ounces a day, roughly twice the global average. At about 5 percent of the world's population, we "process" (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world's total."

Read the full article here: