Global warming

Global warming has been called humankind’s “greatest challenge” and the world’s most grave environmental threat.¹ NASA climate scientists report new data. This week, NASA climatologists said that new data suggests that the Arctic Ocean may have no more ice by 2012. Jay Zwally, of NASA's climate change research team, said that the ice was melting "much faster than previous predictions" supposed. He explained that the presence of the Arctic sea ice reflects about 80% of the sun's heat, stabilizing the temperature of the ocean. Top NASA climatologist James Hansen stated, "We have not passed a point of no return. We can still roll things back in time – but it is going to require a quick turn in direction."

Read this New York Times article: Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

As per a UN report one of the leading causes of global warming is as follows:

In a groundbreaking 2006 report, the United Nations (U.N.) said that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. Senior U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization official Henning Steinfeld reported that the meat industry is "one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems."²

Producing one calorie of animal protein requires more than 10 times as much fossil fuel input—releasing more than 10 times as much carbon dioxide—than does a calorie of plant protein.³ Scientists report that every pound of methane is more than 20 times as effective as carbon dioxide is at trapping heat in our atmosphere.⁴ The Environmental Protection Agency shows that animal agriculture is the single largest source of methane emissions in the U.S.⁵ Nitrous oxide is about 300 times more potent as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide. According to the U.N., the meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions.⁶

Isn’t it clear that each and everyone of us could help to avert the global warning by changing our life style and diet?

¹ Andrew Pierce, “Global Warming Is Mankind’s Greatest Challenge, Says Prince,” The Times 28 Oct. 2005.
² “Rearing Cattle Produces More Greenhouse Gases Than Driving Cars, UN Report Warns,” UN News Centre, 29 Nov. 2006.

³ David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel, “Sustainability of Meat-Based and Plant-Based Diets and the Environment,” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 78.3 (2003): 661S-662S.

⁴ “Global Warming: Methane,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 8 Mar. 2006.

⁵ “Sources and Emissions: Methane,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Jun. 2006.

⁷ H. Steinfeld, et al., “Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options,” Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).