It seems that yesterday’s pronouncement by Lord Stern, author of the British government’s report “Review on the Economics of Climate Change,” recommending a vegetarian diet caused such a fuss that he subsequently released a
clarification.
I think that once people understand the great risks that climate change poses, they will naturally want to choose products and services that cause little or no emissions of greenhouse gases, which means ‘low-carbon consumption’. This will apply across the board, including electricity, heating, transport and food. A diet that relies heavily on meat production results in higher emissions than a typical vegetarian diet. Different individuals will make different choices. However, the debate about climate change should not be dumbed down to a single slogan, such as ‘give up meat to save the planet’.
The Grumpy Vegan heard him interviewed yesterday morning on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program. Go here to scroll down and listen to the interview. Stern is a most impressive speaker and advocate for global warming who understands the important relevance to animal food production and environmental degradation. It’s clear that some in media want to trivialise Stern’s message on the environmental impact of animal agriculture while he, Stern, is skillfully raising the issue of vegetarianism in a way which puts the issue before the public in a rational way.
