The Deep Green Diet – what is it?

There is a very big elephant in the global warming room, one that has been very expertly ignored. Unlike the Hans Christian Anderson story that told of the king’s lack of clothing - where everyone could see for themselves that the guy was naked but didn’t have the courage to say it - few people seem to actually know about this one.

The first real public revelation of the impacts of animal farming on the global environment came with the publication of the best selling book, Diet for a New America, by John Robbins, in 1987. Robbins, the heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, chose a more meaningful life than heading the company and instead researched and wrote on the ecological, health and animal welfare impacts of industrial animal production. Robbins was so successful in exposing this environmental problem that it spawned an international initiative called EarthSave, www.earthsave.org .  

There followed numerous books further detailing the devastating effects Robbins outlined, along with reports and studies. Probably the report having the most impact would be from the 2006, UN Food and Agricultural Organization entitled, Livestock’s Long Shadow www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm . The statement from the report that raised the attention of the issue so profoundly was "that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger share than that of transport." Only quite recently have such luminaries as Al Gore, Sir Nicholas Stern and David Suzuki, often reluctantly, acknowledged these connections.

 The UN FAO report findings suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. These impacts are due to the massive amounts of waste products from the animals themselves, from the pollutants used for growing the crops that feed them, and the amounts of energy required.

 It is important to recognize what is meant by “industrial animal farming” as opposed to traditional methods. Present consumption levels of animal products would not be possible using the methods that were in place just a few decades ago - there is not enough land, water, energy and manpower to sustain our present consumption levels. Indeed, it would probably not be feasible to produce animals and their products industrially were it not for the massive subsidies from governments, low fuel prices, ignored environmental costs (known as “externalities” in economics), and excessive health care costs.

Due to the vast amounts of meat and dairy produced today grazing is no longer the method of choice. Instead animals are raised in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), otherwise known as CFOs (Confined Feeding Operations) or ILOs (Intensive Livestock Operations) and fed with corn, soy or wheat, resulting in a considerably higher fattening rate. The protein in these plants is converted into animal protein with a large loss factor were the plant protein consumed directly.

Water Pollution

As a result of the excessive fertilization required for the intensive animal agriculture there is massive run-off which is damaging rivers, lakes and shore lines. The process is known as eutrophication and ensues from the stimulated of growth of algae. In turn this algae deprives the water way of oxygen and eventually causes a “dead zone”.  The best known of these dead zones is probably the one in the Gulf of Mexico which varies in size  but can grow as large as 6000 to 7000 square miles.

Soil Erosion

As animal consumption has increased, so the amount of feed requirements has also rapidly increased. The land used for animal feed has been more intensively cropped with greater frequency of crop rotations. Farmers are beginning to consider no-till farming but this methodology still only covers approximately 5% of agricultural land. Deforestation is another major cause of top soil loss.

Deforestation

There are many causes for the loss of forest cover throughout the world from palm oil plantations, to soy, rubber, rice and paper products. Particularly in South America, the major cause of deforestation is cattle farming. The problem in deforesting tropical rain forests is that most of the nutrients of the forest are in the canopy, not in the soil. This provides good grazing for a few years after which the soil is depleted and cannot be replenished. Recent evidence is showing that forests absorb a very large amount of the carbon from the atmosphere and should be preserved as an effective carbon sink.

Climate Change

The four most effective climate change gases are CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and CFCs (chloro-fluro-carbons). The first three of these gases are produced in large quantities from the farming of animals. A 2007 report from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization stated that 18% of all greenhouse gases are produced from the farming of animals, more than any other single source. Specifically, animal agriculture accounts for:

• 9% of annual human-induced CO2 emissions
• 37% of methane (CH4) emissions, which has more than 20 times the global warming potential of CO2
• 65% of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which has almost 300 times CO2’s global warming potential

The single, most effective thing one individual can do to halt the progress of global warming is to eat lower on the food chain.

Diseases

Many of the diseases that humans suffer with result from our ever closer association with animals. In recent years this phenomenon has accelerated.

• The BSE crisis, resulting from he feeding of animals to herbivores, did not cause a massive outbreak of CJD in humans as predicted, but did deal the cattle industry a blow from which it has yet to recover.
• The Listeria outbreak of 2008/9 caused the death of 23 people across Canada and resulted from contaminated meat processing machinery.
• Hamburger disease (E-coli, H7:0157) is a direct result of feces contaminated meat. The speed of modern meat processing and slaughtering does not allow time for complete separation.  Instead consumers are advised to cook the meat at high temperatures.
• Swine Flu (H1N1) that resulted in one of the biggest vaccination campaigns ever in 2009 turned out to be no worse than regular flu. However, the response indicates that the authorities are worried that another outbreak such as the great 1918 Spanish flu could occur.
• Avian Influenza (H5N1) again did not cause the level of infection expected, but did result in large losses to bird farmers.
  • West Nile Virus is spread by various species of mosquitoes and ticks. The insects transmit the virus from the principle host (wild bird populations) to mammals and domestic poultry.

Water Usage

Up to 70 % of the water we take from rivers and groundwater goes into irrigation, about 10% is used in domestic applications and 20% in industry.  A hamburger takes 2,400 litres, while a single head of cattle requires 4,000 m3. A 200ml glass of milk uses 200 litres while a 40gm egg takes 135 litres. Compared to a 100 gm potato at 25 litres or the same size of apple at 70 litres, meat protein is considerably more water intensive.

World Hunger

If American-type countries would reduce their meat consumption by just 10%, enough grain would be saved to feed 60 million people. Contrary to popular belief a plant based diet provides adequate dietary protein to ensure good health - in fact, many modern studies now show that animal protein is a source of ill health.

Worldwatch Institute, www.worldwatch.org/programs/agriculture , states that 75% of the Third World imports of corn, barley, sorghum, and oats are fed to animals and not people. "In country after country, the demand for meat among the rich is squeezing out staple production for the poor." The demand for meat among the rich takes precedence over grain production for the poor since "cash" crops come first. Two-thirds of the grain exported from North America goes to feed livestock which then filters back to only feeding the ones who can afford that type of food.

Bioaccumulation

The pesticides, fungicides and herbicides so prolifically used in modern farming are consumed by animals. These chemicals are in turn consumed by humans (further by babies in the case of lactating mothers) and biomagnified in the process. These synthetic chemicals are store in fat tissue and passed on in an increased concentration.

Many animals, birds and dairy cows are routinely fed antibiotics in their feed in an attempt to prevent the diseases that result from close confinement.  Antibiotic resistance appears to be on the increase and may be a result of this excessive use by the animal products industry. Additionally, animals are treated with hormones to accelerate their growth.

Given these environmental effects along with the known health benefits of a plant based diet it is worth considering a diet lower down the food chain. The Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca (North America’s oldest) currently has a campaign called “meat free Mondays”. For those who consider full-on vegetarianism a bit radical one day of abstinence might be very beneficial and an easy first step.