Some news items that have recently caught my attention including articles on environmental issues and a look into the future of food.
Environment
A United Nations Report, “The Closing Window” [1a] on Greenhouse Gas Emissions says “the message that greenhouse gas emissions must fall is unambiguous … yet finds that the international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster”
The report includes several sections on meat consumption, showing that a necessary step to avoid climate disaster is to move towards plant-based diets.
“Life cycle analyses indicate that meat production—from inputs in its production to retail—has a median value of CO2e per 100g of protein that is significantly higher than alternative plant-based sources of protein (Poore and Nemecek 2018)”
“Progress on changing diets has been very limited. This is also reflected in a review of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that shows the inaction towards reducing meat consumption both in high income and higher-middle-income countries”
The paradox is that if high income countries continue to consume meat at the current rate then the production of meat in any significant quantity will soon not be possible.
“We had our chance to make incremental changes, but that time is over. Only a root-and-branch transformation of our economies and societies can save us from accelerating climate disaster” [1b]
The environmental footprint of global food production is the subject of a Washington Post article [2a] which commented on research [2b] which reports that pigs and cattle rank as the top environmental offenders, with cattle having a massive impact on greenhouse gas emissions and pigs on water pollution and quality.
Atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases hit record high [3a].
Scientists warn the world ‘is heading in the wrong direction’ amid rise in nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane. Atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases hit record high
Although not specifically mentioned in the article, animal agriculture makes a significant contribution to all three of these gases. It is obvious that meat consumption must drop dramatically and plant based diets be more widely taken up in order to deal with global warming.
The brutal truth is here for everyone to see. Far from emissions being brought under control, they are actually accelerating. This is the worst possible news. You can say goodbye to 1.5C and 2C too.
Professor Bill McGuire [3b]
Pollution
A recent report [4a] reveals the vast quantity of fishing gear dumped or lost at sea. According to the authors, these are having a huge and deadly impact on fish and other marine life.
Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear is a major contributor to ocean pollution, with extensive social, economic, and environmental impact
The paper is also reviewed at Plant Based News [4b]. The Scale Of Lost Fishing Gear In The Ocean Is ‘Staggering’
It found that each year, 78,000 sq km of purse seine nets and gillnets, 215 sq km of bottom trawl nets, 740,000 km of main long lines, and 15.5 million km of branch lines were lost.
And who pays for the fishing industry to dump its unwanted gear? The consumer and government subsidies. A further compelling reason to remove fish from our diet.
Two-thirds of cattle farms in north Devon cause river pollution [5].
Nearly nine in 10 farms inspected failed to comply with regulations, according to a report from the Environment Agency
Politics
UK admits its net zero strategy is unlawful [6]
The UK government has conceded that its plan to cut carbon emissions is inadequate, and must now come up with a better one. Last week, business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg quietly dropped plans to appeal against a High Court ruling from July that found the government’s net zero strategy was unlawful.
Cutting meat subsidies and an information campaign to reduce meat consumption should be part of a legal strategy.
The Future?
Will technology save us from a food security catastrophe? [7].
At the Future Food-Tech last week, Perfect Day [8] is using fermentation to make dairy proteins that are “identical to the ones you get from a cow without the animal involved, reducing water usage by up to 99 percent for the same protein and reduce emissions by up to 97 percent”.
Transforming the Future of Marine Aquaculture: A Circular Economy Approach [9]
Marine algae can provide a better source of high-quality nutritional protein, essential amino acids, and other micronutrients relative to terrestrial plants. Furthermore, by reducing agriculture’s demand for arable land and freshwater, marine algae-based aquaculture can reduce the pressure for deforestation, potentially leading to globally significant reductions in carbon emissions and biodiversity loss.
Book
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg [10]
Published this month. “An essential guide to a better world. Greta Thunberg has enticed over 100 experts to write about the climate crisis. No one else could have created this incredible resource” (New Scientist)
References
[1a] https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2022
[1b] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/climate-crisis-un-pathway-1-5-c
[2a] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/24/pork-beef-diet-climate-impact
[2b] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00965-x
[3a] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/26/atmospheric-levels-greenhouse-gases-record-high
[3b] https://twitter.com/ProfBillMcGuire/status/1585302012027359232
[4a] https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq0135
[4b] https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/scale-lost-fishing-gear-ocean
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/25/two-thirds-of-cattle-farms-in-north-devon-cause-river-pollution
[6] https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/10/18/embarrassing-but-welcome-green-lawyers-triumph-as-uk-admits-its-net-zero-strategy-is-unlaw
[7] https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/impossible-foods-plant-based-filet-mignon
[8] https://perfectday.com
[9] https://tos.org/oceanography/article/transforming-the-future-of-marine-aquaculture-a-circular-economy-approach
[10] https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Greta-Thunberg/The-Climate-Book/27102254
