Meat Free Mondays: Paul McCartney’s Global Warming Campaign
by Jennifer Lance in Carbon/ GHG Reduction, Food and Cuisine, Meat
Sir Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda have long been famous vegetarians, including writing several vegetarian cookbooks. Now the Beatle is promoting Meatless Mondays as a way to educate and promote family activism. The idea is simple: Go meat-free one day a week. This campaign follows on the announcement by the United Nations last fall:
In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity. Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there.
According to the UN, meat production is responsible for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UK’s Food Climate Research Network cites lower estimates holding food production for livestock accountable for 10 to 15 percent of emissions. Whatever the statistic, the impact of global meat production is significant, and meat consumption is up in the United States. Biofuels Digest reports:
70 percent of US corn and soy production is devoted to feed, not food, and not fuel…According to the FAO and the USDA , US meat consumption has increased 137 pounds per person since the 1950s, with a resulting increase in grain usage of 375 pounds per person (the grain fed to cattle and poultry). Cheese consumption has increased faster than milk’s decline, and Americans consume 179 extra pounds of milk, which uses up another 63 pounds of grain. In short, dietary change in the US has resulted in an additional 438 pounds of grains per capita, or 8 bushels of corn.
Scientists, chefs, and celebrities are supporting McCartney’s Meatless Mondays campaign. It’s a relatively simple step all families can take that will have a significant effect on climate change. Jan van Aken, Greenpeace biologist, estimates Meatless Mondays could reduce cattle emissions by 10 to 20 percent. If you aren’t already a vegetarian, try having a Meatless Monday. Who knows? It may evolve into a Meatless Tuesday, Meatless Wednesday, etc.
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Posted on Jun 19, 2009
agriculture, climate change, environment, global warming, Meat, Meatless Mondays, Paul McCartney
About the Author
Jennifer Lance
Jennifer lives on 160 acres off-the-grid in a home built with her own two hands (and several more skilled pairs of hands) from forest fire salvaged timber. Her home is powered by a micro-hydro turbine, and she has been a vegetarian for 21 years. She graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in art education and has been teaching art to children for over 16 years. Jennifer is the founder and editor of Eco Child's Play.3 Responses to “Meat Free Mondays: Paul McCartney’s Global Warming Campaign”
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Susan Kraemer
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Jun 20, 2009
God. That picture would drive anyone to stop eating meat!
Todd Petro
Dec 04, 2009
What in the world are we doing? God told us to eat meat and He will provide whatever we need and it is so! He said there would rise a nation with a land rich and fertile. The land would never fall short of providing the worlds needs. Our farmers right here in America are paid to stop producing because we have such an abundance. There’s no global warming due to meat production! Any moron who buys into any of the global warming scammsss are just a bunch of morons! I will eat double portions of meat on Monday’s from now on and will never follow such a stupid idea.