20 Shocking Facts on the Environment

[alkaseltzer01]

http://www.greenexpander.com/2007/10...e-environment/

1. Want to help the environment? If you we’re thinking about buying a hybrid car, think again. According to scientists from the University of Chicago, the environment could benefit more if you go vegan than if you buy an eco-friendly car.
2. Who is the #1 source of water pollution? In the U.S., the main source of water pollution is not chemical waste but the excrement of farm animals.

3. According to recent studies, 70% of the world’s marine species are at risk of extinction.
4. John Robbins in his book “The Food Revolution” reveals that you could save more water by not eating a pound of California beef rather than not showering for one whole year.
5. Fruits and vegetables go to waste every year. People cannot afford to buy them so the EU spends millions of euros annually to destroy good fruits and vegetable. The US and Canada have equally despicable food policies. This is done while over 40,000 children die every day due to starvation.
6. Animals raised for food currently generate between 15 and 20% of methane emissions globally.
7. In recent news, scientists aim for lab-grown meat. This means that a single cell taken from an animal could produce in theory the world’s annual meat supply.overweight.jpg

8. For the first time in history, overweight people is about to reach the number of underweight people. While some countries grow more prosperous, others confront with ever serious hunger problems.
9. Fish farming has been developed to replace to wild fish stocks that are ever lower. Ironically, these farmed fish are fed wild fish thus depleting the oceans even more.
10. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. 50 million tons of paper are consumed annually by Americans, more than 850 million trees being cut down.
11. It takes 5 pounds of wild ocean fish to produce a single pound of farmed saltwater fish or shrimp.

12. Numerous species are going extinct and, by 2100, extinction may reach one third of all species now living. Not only will these animals be forever lost, but the loss of many ingredients for today’s medicine. This is produced in tropical forests and means for producers the sum of 30 billion dollars a year.
More than half of the world’s tropical forests have been lost. Each year, over 63,000 square miles are destroyed.

14. Don’t leave your tap running! Only a dripping tap means you’re wasting 13 liters of water a day.

15. Recycle, recycle, recycle! It takes around 450 years for a plastic bottle to degrade. Recycle paper and for every tonne of paper you save 17 trees.

16. Thinking about going vegan? According to PETA, each vegetarian saves one acre of trees every year.

17. Indonesia contains the most known mammal species, but also the most mammal species under threat.

18. Rainforests have taken thousands of years to form but every second a portion the size of a football field is destroyed.

19. According to John Robbins, two-thirds of the products on supermarket shelves now contain genetically engineered ingredients that are not labeled.

20. 55 square feet of tropical rainforest to produce one “quarter pounder”.

[granite_grrl]

Apparently I wasn't the only one to question some of the points in that article. Here is the comment page for it:

http://www.greenexpander.com/2007/10...ment/#comments

[CHINAdeals]

Apparently I wasn't the only one to question some of the points in that article. Here is the comment page for it:

http://www.greenexpander.com/2007/10...ment/#comments

+1

wtf quarter pounder

[gordholio]

PETA is such and assh*le organization IMHO. On their web page they don't call dogs and cats pets - they call them "animal companions".
My sister and law tried to egg me into an argument over eating McDonald's "dead flesh" (hamburgers). I didn't go for it.
If these vegetarians want to eat that way, then they should do it, not try to argue or convert others or make them look bad for eating meat. I like some meat and I don't equate vegetarianism with healthy.
They are like the "environmental" movement - they worship the earth and the creation (Gaia worship), rather than the Creator.

[mart242]

11. It takes 5 pounds of wild ocean fish to produce a single pound of farmed saltwater fish or shrimp.

Really? Or is that "fact" non-sense as well?

[Grassgreen]

If "fact" number 20 was true, I would personally have destroyed half of the worlds rainforests myself in the last 10 years.

Give me a break. And hey, I love animals too....MEDIUM RARE!!!!

[Impossibles]

Really? Or is that "fact" non-sense as well?

Made up fact.

[dgmorr]

Made up fact.

That's a fact.

[IronMac]

Really? Or is that "fact" non-sense as well?

Hrmmm...I think the answer is "it depends". For example, bluefin tuna are carnivores so what are you going to feed them in order to keep them alive and to fatten them for market? Corn?

If you look even further:

http://www.ofac.org/issues/resources_fish.php

What kind of food do farmed fish eat?

At the present time, feed for salmonids (eg, trout, charr, salmon) contain about 60% of protein that is likely to be fishmeal. Other cultured fish such as tilapia, catfish and carp, can grow and feed with out fishmeal in their diet. Since there is increasing pressure on the world’s wild-harvest fisheries, many are questioning the logic and sustainability of continuing to harvest fish to feed other carnivorous fish. In addition, fish feed is the biggest variable production cost for farmers, and the price of fishmeal is on the rise. To date, researchers have been able to experimentally replace a large proportion of dietary fishmeal with an alternative protein at a reasonable cost, while still obtaining optimal growth rates. The next challenge is to replace the fishmeal completely, while maintaining production efficiency, and economic and environmental sustainability.

[Gedge]

Moral questions aside, going veggie is one of the best things you can do for your health.

[new_vr]

Moral questions aside, going veggie is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Do you have any references for this?

[brunes]

Hrmmm...I think the answer is "it depends". For example, bluefin tuna are carnivores so what are you going to feed them in order to keep them alive and to fatten them for market? Corn?

If you look even further:

http://www.ofac.org/issues/resources_fish.php

Feed them beef.

[a2vr6]

If "fact" number 20 was true, I would personally have destroyed half of the worlds rainforests myself in the last 10 years.

Give me a break. And hey, I love animals too....MEDIUM RARE!!!!

Why do people put stupid/unwanted comments in these threads? I like meat just as much as the next person but I think if we cut down a little, we can help the environment quite a bit. The attitude displayed above is why the world is the way it is.

[Gedge]

Do you have any references for this?

I'm not your nutritionist. Look it up.

[gheart008]

I'm not your nutritionist. Look it up.

It goes both ways:

http://starchefs.com/features/food_d...issue_01.shtml

Healthful or Harmful?

When discussing the health benefits of veganism, most supporters are quick to point out that non-animal based diets tend to be high in fiber, nutrient-rich, cholesterol-free, and low fat [1]. They emphasize that not only is vegan food better for you, but the consumption of non-vegan food, specifically animal fats and proteins, has been linked to a number of health problems. These include obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and several kinds of cancer [2]. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with reduced risks for all of these conditions [3].

The counter-argument is that although vegan diets are undoubtedly beneficial in certain respects, they are detrimental in others, causing minor to serious health problems that often go unnoticed. Critics maintain that even the most informed, health-conscious vegans run the risk of malnutrition [4]. There are several nutrients that are found in abundance in animal products, but exist in only a handful of vegan foods. Therefore, critics argue, while it is possible to get all of the essential nutrients on a vegan diet, it is extremely challenging.

Vitamin B12, for instance, is only naturally-occurring in animal cells and yeast or mold cells. Since vegan sources of vitamin B12 are scarce, vegans must be vigilant about getting enough of this essential vitamin. This is an arduous task, made more difficult by the fact that some vegans altogether avoid yeast or bacterial products. These people must rely upon fortified foods and supplements. A popular argument against veganism is that heavy reliance upon artificial nutrient sources (vitamin pills, fortified foods, etc.) is an unhealthy practice. These people believe that nutrients should be delivered to the body in their natural packaging, which just isn’t feasible on a strict vegan diet.