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Letter: Norwalk Resident Discusses Climate Change And Your Plate

NORWALK, Conn. -- The Norwalk Daily Voice accepts signed letters to the editor. Please send letters to norwalk@dailyvoice.com.

To the editor:

As many of us tuned in to the State of the Union Address the other night, we heard the usual rhetoric on climate change: On how it's bad, on how the vast majority of the scientific community agrees that it is occurring, on how we need to take immediate action.

We focus on solutions that revolve around fossil fuels and cars and taxes on emissions from big companies.

What we do not hear in the media or from our politicians is how we can combat it by what we put on our plate.

Animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. There is no denying this fact anymore and even the United Nations has recognized this in a report they did on climate change. The report cites a study done by Arnold Tukker and Bart Jansen, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University in 2006, stating, "It becomes apparent that the use of private cars (within mobility), the consumption of meat and dairy products (within food consumption), and electric appliances cause a disproportionately large share of environmental impacts (Tukker and Jansen 2006)."

Why is it lumped in with other known major contributors such as cars and electricity use? Inputs and outputs of animal agriculture are tough on the environment: "Grain-fed beef production takes 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food. Raising broiler chickens takes 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for kilogram of food produced; rice, 1,912; wheat, 900; and potatoes, 500 liters," said David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Livestock also emits copious amounts of methane which is a green house gas and other toxic emissions.

An important conclusion from the UN report is: "Agriculture and food consumption are identified as one of the most important drivers of environmental pressures, especially habitat change, climate change, water use and toxic emissions."

So are we definitely doomed? Or is there something we can do? Luckily, with a little bit of will power we can turn this disaster around.

Instead of consuming animal products, try plant-based alternatives. There are now more than ever delicious animal-product substitutes that not only taste good, but are good for our planet. 

Anouk Govil

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