Breaking "Code of Silence" re Climate Change
For the children of the world, we must GET REAL on this topic
SOS #149 -- J. Morris Hicks -- (3-15-22)
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All four of the major scientific reports since 2006 cite animal agriculture as the leading driver of climate change -- yet there appears to be a "code of silence" when it comes to our leaders actually asking the public to shift quickly toward the total embrace of plant-based eating. |
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Why is there a code of silence about a dietary shift that could prove to be the most important single step that humanity will ever take?
A step that could very likely be the key to preventing our near-term extinction as a species?
Our leaders are silent due to a combination of factors:
- It would be unpopular among most of their constituents
- It would likely prevent them from being re-elected
- It could also be due in part to ignorance -- since even the IPCC scientists don't seem to have their hands around the complete truth about the huge impact of animal agriculture on climate change.
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Specifically, this SOS Memo is all about the various drivers of climate change and what we as individuals can do about them. I will begin with the overwhelmingly most powerful move that almost every human being could take.
Changing what we eat. Of the plethora of human activities that contribute to climate change, there Is only ONE that can be completely eliminated by almost everyone in as little as one week. It is what you choose to put on your fork, spoon or chopsticks at every meal.
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You may have heard that animal agriculture plays a large role in climate change. That is true -- and you may have run across some contradictions in the various reports. It is that confusion that I will try to clear up for you today.
But first, let's explore a half-dozen other human activities, in addition to food choices, that play a big role in heating up our planet.
As you look at this list, you will note that it is NOT very easy to reduce, or eliminate, any of them very quickly. Nothing is easier for you to make a difference re climate change -- than quickly changing what you choose to eat three times a day.
These six activities will take a long time to change to greener options:
- Transportation, how we get to work, school, shopping, etc.
- Heating and cooling the place where you live
- The size and ongoing maintenance of your residence
- Personal purchasing habits: like shoes, clothes, gifts, home appliances, gadgets, and all other forms of "stuff"
- Your entertainment, recreational and vacationing habits
- Your pets and everything you buy for them
All six of the above items are more difficult to change and are less significant drivers of climate change than what you choose to eat.
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The four reports since 2006 are listed here chronologically
All of them implicate animal agriculture as the leading driver of climate change.
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1. UNFAO paper in 2006
Pegs animal agriculture as driving 18% of all human-induced greenhouse gases -- more than ALL of world transportation combined
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Sixteen years ago, in 2006, the UNFAO published the report that you see here. |
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It concluded that animal agriculture accounts for 18% of all human-induced greenhouse gases (GhG's) -- a planet-warming impact that was 50% greater than ALL of transportation combined, including planes, cars, trains, trucks, buses and ships all over the world.
Well, this news did not sit well with the UN's LEAP "partners" whose profits suffer when people around the world eat less meat, dairy and eggs. God forbid they should stop eating those products altogether.
As for the acronym LEAP, it is "Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership."
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Guess who those "partners" are?
The first five on their list are shown here. When people eat less meat, dairy and eggs -- the companies who sell those products make less money.
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To me, this is a classic case of the "fox guarding the hen house."
This "partnership" group doesn't care if their products play a huge role in climate change and they don't really care if their products are not good for your personal health.
They only care that you keep consuming their products.
And our global leaders are letting them get away with it -- even though it means that we essentially will have zero chance at slowing climate change -- much less, stopping or reversing it.
This story get's worse, but I will keep this saga in chronological order and shift now to a report by two World Bank researchers and their paper that was published on Worldwatch.org in 2009.
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2. World Bank paper in 2009
Published in Worldwatch, Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang address the shortcomings of the FAO report -- pegging agriculture as driving at least 51% of human induced GhG
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Dr. Robert Goodland was the first ecologist ever at the World Bank. Sadly, just as I was getting to know him (via email) in 2013, he died after taking a fall in the Himalayas. Since then, I have become friends with his co-author, Jeff Anhang.
Pictured below is the image on the cover of their eye-catching Worldwatch paper in 2009. Read the entire paper by clicking this image
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The Goodland and Anhang 2009 Worldwatch paper began with these few paragraphs.
- Whenever the causes of climate change are discussed, fossil fuels top the list. Oil, natural gas, and especially coal are indeed major sources of human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases(GHGs).
- But we believe that the life cycle and supply chain of domesticated animals raised for food have been vastly underestimated as a source of GHGs, and in fact account for at least half of all human-caused GHGs. If this argument is right, it implies that replacing livestock products with better alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change.
- In fact, this approach would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentrations—and thus on the rate the climate is warming—than actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy
The chart below appears near the beginning of the Goodland and Anhang paper. As you can see below:
The FAO estimate appears first, followed by two estimates of either "Uncounted" or "Misallocated" numbers from the FAO report. The net figure of "greater than or equal to" 32,564 million tons of CO2 emissions equals the Goodland/Anhang estimate of livestock being responsible for at least 51% of the worldwide total.
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So, who are you going to believe? The "partners" of the meat, dairy and egg industries or these two World Bank heroes who are just searching for the truth? |
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Robert Goodland retired as lead environmental adviser at the World Bank Group after serving there for 23 years. In 2008 he was awarded the first Coolidge Memorial Medal by the IUCN for outstanding contributions to environmental conservation. Click his image to view his obituary.
Jeff Anhang continues as a research officer and environmental specialist at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, which provides private-sector financing & advice in developing countries.
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3. FAO Second Report in 2013
With conditions getting steadily worse, the FAO caves to the pressure in 2013
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No doubt with pressure from their meat, egg and dairy "partners" -- they lowered their 2009 estimate from 18% to 14.5% (still larger than all of transportation at 12%)
And lo and behold, they try to convince the uninformed public with vast amounts of numbers and illustrations that animal agriculture is not quite as rough on the environment as they had previously reported in 2006.
The image below is the cover of the "updated" report on the effects of livestock on climate change and what can be done "mitigate" or reduce those impacts. You can click on this image if you'd like to read this monster report.
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"Introduction" from this UNFAO 2013 Report
"World population will grow from 7.2 billion today to 9.6 billion in 2050. Population growth, growing incomes and urbanization combine to pose unprecedented challenges to food and agriculture systems, while the natural resources necessary to support global food and non-food production and provision of services from agriculture will not grow.
Driven by strong demand from an emerging global middle class, diets will become richer and increasingly diversified, and growth in animal-source foods will be particularly strong; the demand for meat and milk in 2050 is projected to grow by 73 and 58 percent, respectively, from their levels in 2010"
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So what were the conclusions in their 139-page report? Here are two little tidbits in Chapter Seven:
- "The livestock sector should be part of any solution to climate change: its GHG emissions are substantial but can readily be reduced by mitigation interventions that serve both development and environmental objectives."
- "Due to the size and complexity of the global livestock sector, concerted and global action by all stakeholder groups (including producers, industry associations, academia, the public sector, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations) is needed to design and implement cost-effective and equitable mitigation strategies and policies."
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4. Dr. Sailesh Rao's 2019 paper
Published by Climate Healers in the peer-reviewed Journal of Ecological Society, Dr. Rao pegged animal-agriculture at producing at least 87% of all human-induced ghg.
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Dr. Rao's paper focuses primarily on the role that deforestation plays in terms of the vast amount of greenhouse gases that are produced by animal agriculture. Click image for entire paper.
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From the Abstract of the above paper
"We show that the annual methane emissions from animal agriculture alone cause more incremental global warming than the annual CO2 emissions from all fossil fuel sources combined. We further show that the transition to a global plant-based economy has the potential to sequester over 2000 Giga tons (Gt) of CO2 in regenerating soils and vegetation, returning atmospheric greenhouse gas levels to the “safe zone” of under 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 equivalent, while restoring the biodiversity of the planet and healing its climate.
This paper clearly illustrates why the scientific community, government institutions, corporations and news media, who vastly underestimate the role of animal agriculture and focus primarily on reducing fossil fuel use, need to urgently change their priorities in order to be effective."
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Which of the four reports do I believe? Knowing Dr. Sailesh as well as I do -- I am highly confident that his assumptions are reasonable and that his analyses are accurate.
He holds a Stanford PhD in Electrical Engineering, enjoyed a spectacular career in the technology sector and is now working full-time to ensure that his only granddaughter, age 11, will have the opportunity to live a long, healthy and satisfying life. He is the most precise thinker I have ever known.
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My guess is that with all of the above information, it may be difficult to grasp the simple truth that is buried in all the details.
The simple truth that human beings should be
eating plant-based foods exclusively
Even the two reports (in 2006 and 2013) funded by the meat, dairy, and egg industries concluded that animal agriculture is the single largest driver of climate change.
In the slide below, our colleague in Australia, Gerard Bisshop explains in a 2021 video why the numbers in the various studies are so different. Just click on this image to watch the 9-minute video.
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Back to those other actions we as humans can take to combat climate change |
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It should be crystal-clear to you at this point why it is so crucially important for humans everywhere to shift away from animal based foods. Further, if we choose whole, plant-based foods, our health will improve and we can save lots of money at the same time.
The other sustainability problems, listed below, are the kinds that cannot be resolved through the voluntary actions of individuals. We covered all of them in OUTCRY, where we also provided a futuristic "vision" of a sustainable way of living.
Though we as individuals cannot solve these three challenges listed below, we can elect public officials who are committed to taking care of these obvious problems that I think most 3rd graders could understand:
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Overconsumption. We have a global economic system that depends on the maximization of the consumption of stuff in a world of finite resources. We must change that system.
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Over-population. This is part of the first problem. Without a growing population, we will be unable to satisfy the ever-growing needs of that economic system. God help us! We can't even get past Roe v Wade.
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Our overall "system" of living. Solar panels, electric cars and "recycling on steroids" are not going to fix our grossly unsustainable way of living. We must start over with an overall design that can theoretically work.
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The human population of planet Earth is not in a very good place right now. Even before the horrible Ukraine invasion ordered by Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, there was no evidence to suggest that we humans were doing much of anything to raise the chances for our survival as a species.
What must we do to succeed in having Mother Nature grant us permanent residence here?
Shifting immediately to a whole food, plant-based diet would be a huge step in the right direction. And it could happen in five years if we had the will to do our very best for billions of innocent children in the world.
As for the ultimate result of all of the above positive actions, Dr. James Lovelock, alive and well at 102, continues to tell us: we must figure out a way of living for all of humanity that enables the natural world to actually improve because of our presence. He summarizes thusly:
If the Earth improves because of our presence, we will flourish. If it does not, we will die off.
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What do you think? Not a single head of state in the world is even talking about how we can best deal with our single largest threat: Climate Change. For that, we need powerful leadership -- a topic that was covered in detail last week.
What can you do? You can help by informing friends, family and colleagues about the challenges we face and how we can deal with them. Giving them a copy of OUTCRY would be a great way to start that process.
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I encourage you to scroll down to the "Big Picture" Data & Info section below that follows all of my weekly SOS Memos.
What else can you do as an individual? Scroll on down past the "Big Picture Data" section until you see another list that is entitled: "What can you do?"
J. Morris (Jim) Hicks
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The section below will continue to provide you with handy reference materials on this most crucial of all topics.
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To clarify, we're not trying to preserve "civilization as we know it." Because it is that ultra-wasteful and harmful civilization that is now threatening our very existence as a species.
We're talking about replacing it with an entirely new, ultra-green civilization of the future -- and we do our best to paint a picture of that way of living in OUTCRY.
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"Big Picture"
Data and Info Section
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This section has been appearing at the end of my weekly SOS Memos for several months. It contains links to relevant information that form the foundation of what our options for responding quickly and appropriately to our global crises appear to be.
In order to respond appropriately, we must first grasp the all-important "big picture" regarding how we got to where we are in the first place. The various links below will help you do that.
Next is a half-hour video that was published in November of 2021. It as produced by Michael Dowd, a non-scientific researcher like me who does a very fine job of explaining the many facets of the obstacles standing between us and survival as a species.
Dowd has a pretty good handle on most things, but he seems to be unaware of the simple weapon that we can all use to fight the leading driver of climate change. Our forks.
That said, he does a terrific job of describing our ever-worsening dilemma. Click the link below to view this very informative 33-minute video, published November 15, 2021.
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This next item is a free 83-minute documentary film that is all about the findings that were documented in Dr. Stephen Emmott's 2013 book. TEN BILLION. |
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This powerful film will certainly help more people grasp that all-important "big picture." Just click on the hourglass image.
I will continue sharing this TEN BILLION link in future weekly SOS Memos
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More Data re Leading Driver of Climate Change.
Beginning in September of 2021, I have been including links to world-changing scientific information that thought leaders everywhere should read and and share with others.
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What can you do? For starters, you can buy the new documentary -- Eating our way to Extinction for $6 on Netflix -- and watch it often with your friends and family.
Also, you can:
- Share this SOS Memo with everyone you know.
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Get an e-copy of OUTCRY. Visit Outcry page on Amazon and get a much bigger understanding of the situation in which all humans find ourselves.
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Inform all the young people in your world that you are deadly serious about this topic. Urge them to read these SOS Memos and our latest book, OUTCRY.
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- Completely stop eating meat, dairy, eggs and fish today and tell everyone why you are taking such a "radical" step. You're doing it for the innocent children of the world.
- As noted above, do yourself a favor and make sure that your plant-based meals of the future consist of whole plants -- the kinds of foods that prevent or reverse most chronic diseases AND enable your body to effortlessly seek its optimal weight.
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A final word. Hopefully, the kind of crucially serious situations expressed in these SOS Memos will soon replace meaningless and trivial topics that dominate a ridiculously large percentage of all of the conversations in the world.
We must all start talking much more about what's really important. That is , we must start doing everything possible to maximize the chances of a meaningful and pleasant life ahead for the young people of the world.
I volunteer to help you do that. For Free. Invite me to collaborate with you and your group via Zoom. To help you jump-start that all-important conversation, I will be happy to present and discuss this topic at length. Here's an advance link to my standard presentation: 65 slides.
Click on the image below to view the slides that I am currently using for those kinds of sessions:
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The image above is a clue regarding the essence of my "family game plan" that is revealed only in my talks. I do not put that in writing.
Want to share some of my SOS Memos with others? Visit my SOS Memos page where the most recent ones are listed first.
Finally, I am confident that if a few million people carefully read and digested OUTCRY, that there might at least be a more robust conversation taking place about our grossly unsustainable way of living in the developed world -- and what it will take to get us focused on maximizing our chances of survival as a species.
To be sure, we must do a lot more than change what we eat -- and OUTCRY helps explain the "why" and the "how" of that proposition.
To my knowledge, OUTCRY remains the only book ever published that features an envisioned, totally-green, ultra-sustainable, super-desirable, future way of living for humans -- along with ideas for how we might get there as quickly as possible.
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Regarding the free Zoom conferences with your group,
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Our book, for a host of environmental reasons, is only available as an e-book on Amazon. As such, it contains hyperlinks to hundreds of references and videos, is less expensive, does not kill any trees and does not have to be manufactured and delivered.
The links below to earlier SOS Memos will help you understand how these ideas unfolded since 2018.
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One more thing. I first started learning about the supreme importance of our food choices in 2002. After studying the topic for eight years and getting to know many of the medical and ecological experts in the field, I co-authored the book below with my son Jason.
You can find it on Amazon in all formats by clicking on the image below:
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Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth |
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