Absolutely, we should all try to “eat local” and not only because of fossil fuel emissions. But regarding climate change, let me give you the facts:

1) If every human dropped dead, the Earth would continue warming. Since it formed over 5 billion years ago, it has cycled through extremes of hot and cold. The peak of the last ice age was only 100,000 years ago (very short in geological time) and southern Canada was only freed from ice cover around 10,000 years ago. We are coming out of one of the coldest periods in Earth’s history. Most of the bedrock exposed in North America was actually deposited in ancient oceans when sea level was much higher than it is now.

2) Having said that, human activity definitely is increasing the rate of warming. Of course, the greatest contributor to human-induced climate change is humans! And the human population was allowed to get out of equilibrium with its environment because of the advent of agriculture about 20,000 years ago, specifically when grains began to be grown as crops. If we all still had to run around and catch our food (fish, small mammals, large mammals) and gather our food (nuts, leaves, roots), there wouldn’t be nearly so many people on the planet.

And if you add up all of the potential energy stored in the bellies of the 75% of the American population that is overweight (and do the math for the rest of world where overweight/obesity also are reaching epidemic proportions), I bet you’d be shocked at how much wasted energy is stored there. Not to mention the fact that obesity is associated with a mile-long list of health problems, and Americans solve those problems by taking medicines which have now found there way into municipal water supplies….

I eat meat, but I don’t eat more than I need. Eating carbs tricks your body into wanting more fuel than it actually needs.

If you’re really concerned about global warming, put your efforts into decreasing population growth. And the most effective way to do that is to educate women, because educated women have fewer children and they tend to have them later in life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ijLulwUTY

“Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to eat wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Most grocery stores carry an array of great-tasting vegan options. Many products, including fantastic faux franks, veggie burgers, chicken-free chicken patties, flavored soy milks, nondairy ice creams, and other sensational soy-based snacks, are marketed to vegetarians and vegans. There’s also an abundance of chips, dips, cookies, candies, frozen pies, soups, and other mouth-watering items by mainstream food manufacturers that are also vegan.

Take a stroll through your local grocery store, check some ingredients, and you’ll see what we mean. You may even be surprised to find that a few of your favorite indulgences happen to be vegan! For example, did you know that Pepperidge Farm Turnovers, Murray Butter Cookies, and Cracker Jacks are all vegan? They may not all be “health foods,” but they are great for the taste buds! Just remember, one cannot live on Goldenberg Peanut Chews alone.”

This list is accompanied by a photo of woman embracing many processed food products. This is ideal? Blech.

Uhhh, no. They most certainly would like everyone to become vegetarians. Go to their website, http://www.peta.org/, and read “Animals Are NOT Ours to Eat. It elaborates on the terrible conditions that the animals are raised under, the presumed health benefits of vegetarianism, and the benefits to our environment. It can’t get much clearer than that. I understand that there are many problems with factory farming that could be vastly improved, but I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to eat soy frankenfoods for protein.