New food campaign targets extinction on your plate
The Center for Biological Diversity released extinction facts labels as part of its聽聽campaign. The labels tally the聽greenhouse gasses emitted, habitat lost, water used, and manure produced for every serving of beef, chicken, and pork in the United States.
According to the Center, 鈥溌爉ore environmental harm than any other single industry, endangering wildlife, contributing at least 14.5 percent聽of global greenhouse gas emissions, and accounting for 80 percent聽of antibiotic use, 37 percent聽of pesticide use, and nearly 50 percent聽of water use in the United States.鈥�
Jennifer Molidor, a Senior Food Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, cites U.S. Environmental Protection Agency聽research聽聽of the average American's diet-related carbon footprint to meat consumption. Additionally, the Center argues that greenhouse gas emissions from the production of meat and animal products are significant contributors to climate change.
According to the Center, the production of animal feed and animal grazing, as well as the high water demands of raising livestock and accompanying land degradation, destroy habitats and wipe out native species. Manure is responsible for significant pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater in the U.S., the Center reports.
Advocates for reduced meat consumption further argue that adverse health effects may accompany the notable environmental costs of high consumption in the U.S. Molidor highlights estimations that the average American consumes as much as five times more protein from animal sources as is dietarily necessary for health.
惭辞濒颈诲辞谤鈥檚听聽to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made many of the above points, specifically in response to Secretary Vilsack鈥檚 exclusion of food sustainability in the new 2015鈥�2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). Molidor hoped for the DGA discussion to 鈥渁lign federal policies and programs聽in support of sustainable food that will benefit public health and national food security.鈥� She is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture聽to comprehensively acknowledge the unsustainability of what the Center sees as聽inordinate levels of animal product consumption suggested by聽the current guidelines.
Molidor says that starting the country on a 鈥渓egitimate path to sustainability聽means calling for diets lower in animal-based foods and higher in plant-based foods.鈥�
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