You may not think it to look at them, but those cute farm animals you see gambolling around the field are remorseless polluters. Those sweet little lambs, those playful piglets, those laughing cows and cheeky chickens - filthy polluters all.
A recent UN report found that meat production was among the top 3 creators of greenhouse gases (including methane which is 23 times more harmful than CO2). It's responsible for 18% of global emissions, more than the entire world transportation industry, and livestock agriculture is also a major cause of deforestation and soil erosion, as well as being a huge drain on our water supplies.
To produce just 1kg of beef, enough for a spag bol for you and 5 friends, creates a whopping 34.6kg of CO2, and consumes an eye-watering 15,000 litres of water, much more than a kilo of cereals.
It's enough to make you choke on your chops.
As if all that wasn't enough, farm animals, particularly cows, are a windy bunch. They're responsible for 37% of global methane emissions, which is even more than Michael Winner.
More info from the Green Thing Wiki >>
Someone giving you beef about cutting back on the beef? Don't chicken out. Look that person in the (rib) eye and carve them up with one of these razor sharp retorts to explain why you're going Easy On The Meat.
- All I am saying is give peas a chance.
- Because I was quorn to be wild.
- Sing a new song chickentikka
- Because it's offal for the environment.
- Like a bap out of hell it'll be gone when the morning comes
Got any better ones? Add a comment below...
