UN Climate Change chair Dr. Rajendra Pachauri says no more meat for you!
It was mildly amusing last year when I blogged about Dr. Dean Ornish’s PETA-based front group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) pointing the finger at meat eating as a reason for global warming. In fact, several op-ed pieces have been written by PCRM members in various publications putting forth this ridiculous notion that the reason the planet is supposedly getting hotter (the jury is still WAY out on that one!) is because people are eating meat.
Here’s just a little of what has been said by a couple of PCRM minions over the past year:
“Temperatures are rising around the world, ice caps are melting, and storms are becoming more severe. Even the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding island communities are at risk. Death tolls from the increasing heat are also rising, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health’s department of environmental health. Most people are neglecting one of the most important steps toward stopping global warming: adopting a vegetarian diet.”
–Dr. Patrice Green wrote in the Baltimore Sun on July 19, 2007
“This increased meat consumption is also environmentally unsustainable. According to a recent United Nations report, livestock production is a key contributor to deforestation and a major source of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. And given the disturbing rate at which the South American rainforest is being destroyed to create grazing land for cattle, reducing our meat consumption might be the single most important step we can take to improve the health of our planet.”
–Susan Levin wrote in a letter to the editor to the Times-News
And there was even a study published in the journal The Lancet in September 2007 pushing for a 10 percent reduction in meat consumption because it MAY (that’s the key word in the sentence!) reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It MAY do it, but maybe not. Who really knows?!
Like I said previously, the science behind global warming itself is so suspect right now that any recommendations to resolve it are like throwing darts at a moving target in the dark. It’s like these vegetarians think this is their “in” to get their radical message out there since this is a hot political topic in a key U.S. presidential election year. They will stop at nothing to get people to stop eating meat…even if it means making up whatever reasons they can think of to get people to do it!
But as wacky and off-the-wall as all these proclamations about meat-eating leading to global warming have been from those cut from the Ornish ilk, so far this radical agenda has been limited primarily to the op-ed pages of newspapers and that one study. However, now the “meat is bad for the climate” talking point has spread into a mainstream group that can have an impact on global public policy–the United Nations! Dum dum dummmmmmm!
According to this UK-based The Observer column, the head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is recommending people around the world give up meat for one day or even more each week if they truly care about making a “personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change.” Oh really?! Giving up my favorite low-carb meats for one day a week is supposed to have such a dramatic impact, eh?
He is recently-reelected UN Climate Change chair and Indian economist Dr. Rajendra Pachauri (somebody give this guy a toupee or something for that comb over!) and it should come as no surprise that he is a vegetarian. His group at the UN shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year with the equally kooky Al Gore who has made it his life’s mission to spread this global warming farce for the rest of his life no matter what kind of shaky evidence there is for it. We’ll leave the discussion of the validity of global warming to the political blogs, but let’s dig deeper into this business that meat is a contributing factor in climate change.
Dr. Pachauri believes a diet change away from eating meat is vital to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preserving natural wildlife habitats, and humanely treating the animals that go on to be slaughtered for food. He states that it’s easier to get people to change their diet than their driving habits. Blamed for about one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases, meat production produces the ever-popular methane gas from the flatulence of cattle–something these vegetarians like to say is much worse for the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (and they’d get everyone to hold their breath for a day, too, if they could get away with it!).
I have to ask Dr. Pachauri and anyone else at PCRM or other vegetarian-led groups some rather important questions: Where is your proof that any of this process of creating meat for food is actually having a negative impact on the weather? Aren’t you merely speculating at best putting forth such bold statements about meat and global warming without any real evidence that makes your point? How can a group like the United Nations stand behind such an extreme position when the foundation for it is so incredibly suspect? You gotta ask yourself these questions if you’re affiliated with the UN today.
Interestingly, the story goes on to explain that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century. OH REALLY? Hmmmm, could it be that livin’ la vida low-carb is making such a major comeback now that even the vegetarians are admitting that people are rejecting their nonsensical propaganda about meat being unhealthy for them? Don’t you know there will be a lot of people who will be consuming even MORE to rebel against the likes of PETA, PCRM, and other out-of-the-mainstream vegan groups.
Dr. Pachauri describes this weekly meat-out (I have my own special way of celebrating these “meat-free” days) as “the most attractive opportunity” for creating a measurable reduction in greenhouse gases. Again, I have to ask the question–HOW DO YOU KNOW IT’S GONNA MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?
Don’t expect Dr. Pachauri to let up on his new message about global warming anytime soon. He also spoke at an event held by an animal rights group called Compassion in World Farming which has called on the people of Great Britain to cut their meat consumption in half to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by even more than if they cut their driving in half. In fact, they are pushing for governments around the world to mandate a reduction of meat consumption by upwards of 60 percent by the year 2020. Well, yippee freakin’ skippy! When you’re out on a limb with such a crazy idea like Dr. Pachauri, I suppose you have to hang around people even more “out there” than you are!
You know, all this talk of cutting down on our consumption of meat has got me hungry now–I think I’ll go cook up a big, fatty, juicy porterhouse steak and eat DOUBLE the portion size I normally would in celebration and in honor of Dr. Rajendra Pachauri and the UN’s position today. Won’t you join me? I’ll have my steak medium please.
Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.
That post has got to be one of the most ignorant pieces of writing I have ever seen.
Read that Livestock’s Long Shadow report.
This is insightful as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html
You don’t have to be vegetarian to see the argument here. And you certainly don’t need to sound so immature with your conclusion of “think I’ll go cook up a big, fatty, juicy porterhouse steak and eat DOUBLE the portion size.”
If nothing else, I hope you’re kidding for the sake of your health and your family’s.
John, THANKS for your reaction to my blog post. It proves my point exactly. THANK YOU!
–Jimmy
Global warming?
Yeah, right. This latest bit of insanity should prove beyond all doubt that the global warming hysteria is a political movement, not a scientific one. We’ve now had 46 continuous days with no sunspots. Periods with low sunspot activity just happen to correlate with periods of cooler weather, like they’ve seen in much of Europe and Australia.
Gee, maybe if all the vegetarians fired up the grill and loaded up on steaks, we could stave off the next ice age!
LOL, Jimmy!!!!
I’ll join you with the double portion and double the animal fat (no trimmin’ them bad boys!!!). I love a good celebration!
Maybe if there wasn’t deforestation for soybeans to feed to the cattle, the problem of global warming might right itself in a few centuries. In the meantime, I am going to continue to eat what little red meat I do consume, and if prices come down, I might even splurge on grass-fed!
I like Jimmy’s style- it is called tongue-in-cheek, or is that frank realism?
Hi Jimmy,
I’m an avid reader/listener of your blog, and really like your contrarian views to the mainstream, low-fat, protein-phobic folks.
I really would like to, in a very friendly manner suggest that maybe some people might consider your (and my) views about the low-carb lifestyle as being a little revolutionary, and even a little ahead of its time, if not complete malarkey. I would also suggest that those who believe in global warming might be described in the same way.
The science on global warming is not really in dispute. Even the high mucky-mucks in the GOP have admitted as much. I will allow for debate on how quickly it’s happening, but it’s pretty much an accepted reality, notwithstanding Al Gore’s somewhat condescending manner of delivering the message. In my home country of Canada an ice sheet the size of Manhattan (that had been there for 4500 years) just broke off into the ocean. I just think that there have been too many signals like this that there is *something* going on.
As with all things, I think there’s a middle ground. A lot of the problems with this is really more to do with Taco Bell, McDonalds and KFC, rather than your (and my) enjoyment of a thick porterhouse. I had a delicious New York Strip last night, grass-fed (I had that in my head from your last podcast), and enjoyed it very much.
Anyway, I don’t want to flame, but the more I learn about factory farming, not even talking about global warming, the more I appreciate organic, grass-fed beef and free-range chickens.
Thanks!
In fairness, I don’t think the jury is out on the temperature increase. Just whether or not its a cyclical occurrence, and if not whether or not we caused or there’s anything to do about it…really remaining neutral is the only logical approach to take on global warming.
But yeah, I don’t believe there’s a direct correlation between meat and global warming, certainly no true scientific proof. And if there is, it’s not going to be the consumption of meat but the fairly gross practices of big factory farms and the corn and soy and grain we grow to feed them.
man i swore there were only the first two comments when i went to post that and now i just look like the day late dollar short guy
Whether or not global warming is caused by meat production is not the issue here. The issue is that you should not solve one problem by creating another. In my view and in the view of plenty of other people, a meat-free diet is not the most healthy way to live. There are ways to reduce the effects of global warming that will not adversely impinge upon people’s diet, such as the billions of tons of carbon pumped into the atmosphere by transport. Let’s focus on that.
Jimmy, you know I love you and you know I believe in eating meat. However global warming is not some made up political concept. America seems to be the only country in the world that doesn’t ‘believe’ in it. I can understand why to be honest. In such a large country with such bad public transport, believing in global warming would mean people would have to cut down on their car usage. And since the public transport is so bad people would not be happy!!!
I mean my very well paid dbf was in Vegas a few years back and some people asked him how had he got from another city to there. He replied that he had taken the bus. To which the guy asked “Oh, are you poor?”. He told my bf that only the poor take the bus. So not only do you guys have the convenience factor of using one’s own car but you also have a stigma attached to using the bus??? No wonder people don’t want to ‘believe’ in global warming.
I think Al Gore is great. Did you actually watch his film? Lots of science there.
Even if global warming is not authentic why can’t people even consider the possibility it is? Pressure your government to increase public transport so that everybody has a choice whether to buy a car or not? As it stands in the U.S. unless you live in a big city you NEED to drive. I mean I am 28 and I don’t even know how to drive. Been getting public transport and walking all my life. It’s sad that the U.S. can’t even take a chance. At the very least the more cars the more smog and pollution there is. Maybe you are right. Maybe global warming is not caused by humans? But is it worth taking the chance?
Again I am in total agreement about this meat eating thing. However I hate the rest of this article.
Regina Wilshire has a fabulous article here http://weightoftheevidence.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/the-solar-powered-plate/
Sorry Jimmy!
The idea that meat consumption is going to double is not based on the United States where it’s supposed to stay the same. It’s based on the much larger, poorer countries like China where meat consumption is going up fast as the country gets wealthier.
Here is a link to my thoughts on Global Warming….
http://ab-normal-rant.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html
I agree Jimmy….lets grill some meat to celebrate this UN/PETA craziness!
Hi Jimmy,
I’m an avid reader, and I love everything you have done to promote lowcarb, and thank you for the inspiration to help me improve my health since I started. Sometimes when it seems just too impractical to continue, and start to stray from the path, I tune in to your podcasts and see some of the most advanced minds in the many relevant scientific fields, who take the time to talk to you and give us the general public a window into the cutting edge research and thinking. That gives me extra inspiration I need, and confidence coming from the obvious commitment of the many experts who talk to you, and your own proven skill in bringing key science issues together in a readable, approachable and enjoyable blog.
The UN “Vegetarian Manifesto” is a little shocking, frankly, and my gut reaction is that I personally disagree with it (maybe for slightly different reasons than others, I don’t know, but certainly because it would have a detrimental impact on my health). But could I make a request as a reader who thinks your innovative format and approach on approaching scientific medical issues is a revolution in the blogosphere. It would be great to see if you could throttle back, and invite some of the preeminent scientists on climate change, research on effects of the meat industry, or even those vegetarian alternatives, to present their views in your blog or podcast. The UN is run by committee and they say some pretty stupid things at times. But I bet the UN would even give you a podcast interview, or possibly even give your dissenting view air time in their own internet presence. By presenting a range of scientific views in terms we can all understand, you’d give me (and I think maybe others) a much needed synthesis of the various research going into this issue. There are probably “middle grounds”, like avoiding industrial meat when possible in favor of grass fed and so forth, as has already been mentioned by your readers. The vegetable based high protein foods are not all bad, especially if mixed in with or alternated with pork and other goodies, as Chinese food lovers know. There may be other approaches we haven’t thought about. But it does seem like the climate is changing, and whether our actions can make a difference or not, it is clearly a topic we should listen and learn, your greatest strength in Livin La Vida Low Carb.
I hope you would agree and ask a variety of experts to weigh in in the coming weeks or months. As always, I’ll be tuning in.
All the best with your good works!
THANKS Brian! I welcome all points of view on this and any other subject I blog about. That’s the beauty of the blogging universe–to get people talking and shaping their opinions about what THEY believe. We don’t all have to agree with the conclusions I make in every single post. But getting you to think is one of the primary objectives I try to do each and every day. THANK YOU for your support!
–Jimmy
My take on this is that we should all value our natural resources and cherish all the health benefits we reap from our low-carb lifestyle.
We know that there’s a cost to raising animals for meat. Let’s not pretend that there isn’t. I know Jimmy’s rant is meant to incite some hostility from the other side, but I’m not sure that is what this fight needs. Perhaps more compassion and understanding is necessary.
I think finding a way to express our understanding of the world’s concerns may be worth more than picking a fight.
I was hoping that some folks in the low-carb community would talk about this subject after I heard about it on NPR the other day. I’m glad to see you posted on it Jimmy and I’m glad to see that so many have tossed in their comments as well.
I hope all of us endeavor to use no more than we need of all our valuable resources whether they be food, fuel, paper, plastics, metal, glass, etc. Everything comes with a cost and we get so much in return. Let us not take that for granted.
Sorry if I came off sounding like a Boy Scout. I don’t support the good doctor’s recommendations by any means. To me it is pure insanity to ask me to give up all the health benefits I’ve reaped from low-carb.
Why not reduce our factory farming of corn, soy, rapeseed, and wheat. We’re destroying our most fertile land to produce “healthy” oils from soy, corn, and rapeseed (canola), when we could simply use more of the animal fats much of which I’m sure we’re wasting because we’re afraid they’re unhealthy.
Instead of reducing meat consumption, why not try to capture some of that methane? My local landfill does that and they use it to power a local university.
I think these recommendation should be filed with the recommendations to reduce fat consumption to reduce obesity and heart disease. They fail to fully analyze the problems and offer seemingly logical conclusions without looking at all the possibilities and considering the actual impact of the suggested “solution”.
Anyway, thanks for posting about this Jimmy. I think it’s an important subject to discuss.
Alex
Low Carb New England
http://lowcarbnewengland.blogspot.com
Alex,
That’s very interesting. I’m also very glad Jimmy posted on this. Recently its been hard for me to deal with my friends who are vegetarian, or have partners who are vegetarian, who “just don’t get it”. They typically insist on the myth about Dr. Atkins dying from all that cholesterol and the conversation stops dead. And this altruisitc eco-morality – I’m saving the animals, I’m saving the planet – is a major factor in their unwillingness to think it through.
Say, aren’t a lot of vegetarian foods butter, cream and egg based? I mean, if I went out with a vegetarian friend and had to eat with them to be polite, then I’d rather eat Indian vegetarian food, ’cause its fried in all that delicious BUTTER.
I like going to Indian restaurants and ordering relatively lowcarb dishes – just say no to the extra rice and bread, alot of the food is perfectly fine by itself. Let’s talk to all those cranky, starch-addicted vegetarians and see if can’t find a tiny bit of common ground! Tell them to stop global warming by eating less bread and using butter instead of oil. 
Jimmy,
I read a little more on this after your post. Did you realize that rice may be a bigger problem for global warming than meat and dairy?
“…rice paddy fields are considered an important source of atmospheric Ch4 because the harvest area of rice has increased by about 70% during the last 50 years, and it is likely that CH4 [methane] emission has increased proportionally. Recent estimates that global emissions from rice paddy fields account for about 4-19% of the emissions from all sources… because of the possibility of controlling the emission by agronomic practices, managing rice cultivation must be one of the most likely means of mitigating CH4 emissions…. The world’s rice production must increase significantly for food in the next century… which in turn will increase CH4 increase.”
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x02g246767671815/
So there is a whole other side to this issue.
I’m going to do some more research and I’ll post what I can find on this topic on this website:
http://lowcarbclimatechange.blogspot.com/
If anyone finds good info, please let me know. Thank you Jimmy and all who commented, I learned a lot!
Brian
There’s so much more to this story than I think any of us know which is precisely why I blogged about it to get people talking. Mission accomplished!
–Jimmy
Keep the cow emissions coming because if I go high carb, that’s certainly a problem for me LOL.
All kidding aside… I’m wondering if the Doctor is a Hindu? Since Hindus typically consider the cow sacred, they do not eat them. Just a thought.
Yes, he is a Hindu. Does that mean we all should have to follow the dictates of hid faith. I don’t think so.
. Thanks for commenting Cathy!
–Jimmy
god you’re an idiot! what a waste of bytes! have you ever thought about first gathering information before pretending you know it all?
THANKS Frank! But what are you talking about? Please elaborate on what information I left out and educate us all.
–Jimmy