Yet another Biassed BBC report against meat eating

Tonight I watched a BBC news item on climate issues, The trigger was a recent UN study that shows CO2 levels rose last year for the first time following a period of steady decline. Then the vegan call to arms kicked in. The report continued by going on about methane being produced by animals, and stating in conclusion that we will only overcome global warming by stopping meat production.

Wow! What a Crock!

Maybe the extra volcanic activity seen last year could be the source of CO2 that far exceeds agriculture sources. Maybe China building many coal fired power station s not just for domestic use, but also as a major exporter of that technology to the 3rd world where they are building power stations at the rate of knots at heavily subsidised contract rates. Maybe the deforestation fires burning in Indonesia and Malaya and The Amazon basin contribute too in the search for ground nut oil and palm oil, Or am I being cynical in that these have nothing to do with meat, but animals are somewhat connected and do indeed burp.

I thought the SKY news report on the same topic was better, still banging on about animals, but pointing out that there are feed supplements that could be added to their feeds to considerably reduce the wind problem, thus cutting methane emissions at a burp. However the Min of Ag and Fish bans these supplements so no deal,

EllieM said:

Yup, and that deforestation is largely driven by cattle ranching.

https://globalforestatlas.yale.edu/amazon/land-use/cattle-ranching

I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I don't think the planet can afford to feed 7 (8?) billion people on the quantity of meat that the "rich" countries consume.

Click to expand...

From the same source
https://globalforestatlas.yale.edu/amazon/land-use-and-agriculture/biofuels

One of the problems with biofuel cultivation they are finding is that intensive agribusiness methods are stripping the land of nutrients so that as the yield drops, the firms look for fresh pastures, and the deforestation continues. The land used is then only suitable for cattle grazing or scrubland. This is what they are finding in Indonesia too. Also, the Amazon land is not that good for arable cultivation in the first place, and so they grow soybean as a feedstock for animal support. It is arguable if the land would be better growing vegetable or grain crops instead, but it does not seem to be viable in any useful or commercial way, which is why cattle farming has taken over the raped landscape. Replacing animals with vegetables will not stop deforestation since the land is needed for both, At least cattle pasture does not need crop rotation and fallow land for its management, and also does not need the petrochemical fertilisers that sustain modern arable farming.

The other point to make is that the UN report was on CO2. This is called a greenhouse gas since it rises high into the atmosphere. Methane on the other hand is a heavy gas that stays near ground level, It has much less effect on global warming because of this. It is also not so chemically strong as CO2 so it does decay and disperse so again, is not such a major player. Also, what does vegetable matter give off as it decays either in our gut or on the land? Yup, CO2 and CH4 so we get these bunnies in the atmosphere either way. Matter is neither created nor destroyed I can just imagine the amount of methane that 3 billion humans fed on beans will emit - not insubstantial I would guess. The main problem is that using fossil fuels and modern life has opened the Pandor's box and let the gases out at an alarming and increasing rate. Where they were trapped, they now spring free and unfettered. We currently have no way of putting the genie back into the bottle, and unless we solve this conundrum, then it matters not a jot or a tittle if we eat plants or meat. All we are doing there is recycling the basic foodstuffs and ending up with a similar flatline response.

OK An update.

This morning I watched an article on Euronews about this UN report. They were interviewing one of the co-authors of the actual report and asking about what was needed to be done to get the emissions back to target again.

First thing that was apparent was that it was only CO2 that was being tracked, and not a single mention of any other gas or chemical compound. Methane was totally absent from the discussion.

Second thing was that the report had recommended that all countries step up to the plate and actually deliver on their already agreed targets, and to make the necessary infrastructure investment. No mention of agriculture as a specific cause and indeed no suggestion that meat production should be curtailed in any way.

So if the authors are not discussing it in their report then why did the BBC spend so long banging on about making us stop farming livestock and stop consuming meat? This was clear bias toward a vegan agenda riding on the back of an important global report, Shame on you Aunty for allowing yout correspondent to side track the issue with such blatant prpoaganda.

Found It at last.

http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/

This is an extract where they discuss the upcoming Climate Summit 2019, and the interestting takeaway is where they list the key objectives

"In September 2019, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Climate Summit to bring world leaders of governments, the private sector and civil society together to support the multilateral process and to increase and accelerate climate action and ambition. He has named Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, as his Special Envoy to lead its preparations. The Summit will focus on key sector where action can make the most difference—heavy industry, nature-based solutions, cities, energy, resilience, and climate finance. World leaders will report on what they are doing, and what more they intend to do when they convene in 2020 for the UN climate conference, where commitments will be renewed and may be increased."

The other snippet I like is from the Introduction
"The most abundant GHG, accounting for about two-thirds of GHGs, is carbon dioxide (CO2), is largely the product of burning fossil fuels."