It seems as if our current climate crisis kind of just snuck up on us in a ‘holy green moly, what are we going to do’ kind of way?! Green child prophets have even come forward prophesying of the grave dangers that will come upon us if governmental leaders do not begin creating initiatives to counteract climate change.
The emotional speeches, the large, cushy climate conventions and governmental meetings in cities such as New York and Paris have been useful in gathering the masses and creating some measure of awareness within our communities about our climate crisis. But what can we as a collective do now? Now that we’ve done all the talking, all the preaching and proselytizing, action has to be taken to substantially lessen our carbon footprints. We’ve seen cities such as New York and San Francisco, create long-term goals to become carbon neutral by 2040. Large-scale implementations of plans for corporations and cities to become carbon neutral will take several years, decades and maybe even half a century for others.
The climate crisis that is currently on the plates of governmental and environmentally conscious leaders require a massive global collective effort in order to swiftly bring about a change that will reverse the elements that have contributed to the crisis from day one.
One foremost issue that has contributed to current environmental and climate conditions is the emission of greenhouse gases from animal and livestock emissions. Approximately 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions are from animal emissions. This percentage from animal emissions is equivalent to emissions from transportation modes such as cars, airplanes, trains and ships combined. Included in this animal emissions percentage are tropical deforestation emissions. Animal and livestock emissions are a primary issues which continuously contributes to the worsening of the climate crisis.
Lessening the consumption of meat or doing without it altogether is an action--if collectively done on a global scale—that will address and end our current climate crisis swiftly. One study completed last year at the University of Oxford found that an individual can reduce their carbon footprint by 73% when removing dairy and meat from their diets. Scientists at Oregon State University and Loma Linda University found that the U.S. would meet 2020 greenhouse emission goals, if everyone took one action—substituting beef for plant based foods such as beans or other plant based foods.
Now let’s repeat that and let it sink in--By simply ceasing consumption of beef, the USA will have met the greenhouse emissions goals first created under the Obama administration in 2009. Here at Green Lifestyle Organization, we know that small singular food substitution can be the most powerful change an individual can make to create a positive lifetime environmental impact.
With that said, I’m spearheading an important initiative for 2020.
I’m calling for individuals and regular citizens like you to take the BEEF FREE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT pledge (BAMFEI). GLO is making the call for individuals who want to do their part and lessen their carbon producing footprints through an effective and lifetime method that will create instant change leading to positive results for our environment-- A beef-free approach. We’re not asking you to formally give up all meat, although the planet would sincerely love it if you did! Just make the pledge to go beef free from here on out beginning in 2020. This great planet that we share is depending on you to save it. Will you say ‘no more’ to beef now?
Thankful to these studies which have informed this initiative:
Harwatt, Helen, et al. “Substituting Beans for Beef as a Contribution toward US Climate Change Targets.” Climatic Change, vol. 143, no. 1-2, 2017, pp. 261–270., doi:10.1007/s10584-017-1969-1.
Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science, vol. 360, no. 6392, 2018, pp. 987–992., doi:10.1126/science.aaq0216.
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