I found the book hard to relate to despite having so many familiar touch points. Ok, don’t eat meat, but doesn’t that just make it cheaper and invite the next person to eat it? The author does not discuss the many ways one could tune meat eating into culture, only one and only one main view to the climate problem. Most of the ideas are first order, the complexity of the problem is not emphasised. ( )

Beschrijving van de klimaatverandering en de oorzaken daarvan, met een pleidooi om anders te gaan eten. ( )

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Reason to stop eating meat (well, would’ve been that back in the 70s … now, well, it’s reason to accept the blame, to feel the guilt for our demise … ):

“Globally, humans use 59 percent of all the land capable of growing crops to grow food for livestock.” (p79)

“One-third of all the fresh water that humans use goes to livestock, while only about one-thirtieth is used in homes.” (p79)

“Seventy percent of the antibiotics produced globally are used for livestock, weakening the effectiveness of antibiotics to treat human diseases.” (p79)

“Trees are 50 percent carbon. Like coal, they release their stores of CO2 when burned.” (p92)

“Forests contain more carbon than do all exploitable fossil-fuel reserves.” (p92)

“The cutting and burning of forests is responsible for at least 15 percent of global GHGs per year. According to Scientific American, ‘By most accounts, deforestation in tropical rainforests adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads.'” (p92)

“About 80 percent of deforestation occurs to clear land for corps for livestock and grazing.” (p92)

“in 2018, Brazil elected Jair Bolsonaro as president.” (p93)

“Bolsonaro campaigned on a plan to develop previously protected swaths of the Amazon (i.e., deforestation).” (p93)

“It has been estimated that Bolsonaro’s policy would release 13.2 gigatons of carbon—more than two times the annual emissions o the entire United States.” (p.93)

“Animal agriculture is responsible for 91 percent of Amazonian deforestation.” (p93)


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Another interesting bit:

“Every day, 360,000 people—roughly equal to the population of Florence, Italy—are born.”

(p80)


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And another:

“Just one hundred companies are responsible for 71 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.” (p150) ( )

This is what I want philosophical books to be like. Facts and examples synthesized into opinions meant to lead us to a better life. Agree or disagree with the conclusions, but the facts are indisputable. ( )

I must say that this book beat around the bush quite a bit. I wish that it had been more to the point.

I have been vegetarian for 45 years, and am actively against industrial farming, which is not only detrimental to the environment as stated in this book, but is absolutely cruel to the animals. My biggest wish would be that everyone could witness the treatment of the animals before they purchased the food. I know that there will be plenty of people who will be angry with me, but I have personally witnessed some of that treatment and it sickens me when I think about it. I don't like confrontation, but this is a cause worth it. ( )